West Palm Beach, FL, March 29, 2012 – The Department of Exceptional Student Education will sponsor the Fourth Annual Very Special Science Fair to be held on April 3 and April 4, 2012, hosted by the Palm Beach Zoo. The Very Special Science Fair is the culmination of Professional Development that encourages teachers to instill scientific inquiry and discovery into their instruction. Seven hundred students with significant Intellectual Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder, grades kindergarten through 12, are expected to participate in the Fair. Each classroom will develop a science project which will be displayed at the Palm Beach Zoo’s Peggy Brown Pavilion. All Science Fair projects follow standard Science Fair protocol.
In addition to hosting the event, the zoo will provide free carousel rides for participating students, as well as animal encounters and education programs. This is the third year in a row that this event has been held at the zoo. Kids’ Dreams Inc., a 501 (c) 3 public charity, is sponsoring zoo admission to over 400 underserved students that attend Title I schools.
Since its inception four years ago, The Very Special Science Fair has quadrupled in the number of classrooms participating in this event. Students are proud of the hard work they have invested in developing their science projects and thrilled to see them displayed at the Zoo’s Peggy Brown Pavilion. Participants have thoroughly enjoyed attending the special wildlife presentations given by Zoo staff, watching all the animals in their habitats, and picnicking under the shady trees.
Dr. Twila Reinke from Pahokee Senior High had this to say about last year’s Very Special Science Fair: “We’re packing up our 2011 Science Fair Project for summer break, and the kids won’t let me do it. They want to keep the display up a little longer. The opportunity to participate in the Science Fair at the Palm Beach Zoo was especially meaningful because the students have taken such particular pride in their accomplishment. They have learned so much about life sciences, and more importantly, learned so much about what they can do.”
The Department of Exceptional Student Education wishes to thank the Department of Federal and State Programs, the Palm Beach Zoo, Kids’ Dreams, the Nestle Corporation, and the Graham-Eckes Palm Beach Academy Foundation for their generosity in making this very special day a reality.
For more information about the Very Special Science Fair please contact Claudia Harden, Palm Beach Zoo Marketing Manager at (561) 214-1667 or claudia@palmbeachzoo.org. Photo ops of students with their science fair projects and the awards ceremony will be available from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on both days.