29 New Castle School District students received first place awards Saturday at the Regional Competition for the 90th Annual Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) at Slippery Rock University on February 22, 2020. 

Nine students received second places and none received any lower.  420 students representing 45 public, private and charter schools in the 9 local county area, presented their scientific research to a panel of judges including SRU professors, graduate students, and local scientists. Each student designed and completed their own unique science project based on the scientific method, and prepared a PowerPoint presentation and evaluated by a panel of 5 judges in a five-category rubric. To qualify for the state competition, Each student who received a first-place award at the regional competition qualifies for the State Meeting May 17-19 at Penn State University.

New Castle results:
Eighth Grade- First place: Alexandra Browne, Ashley Hawkins, Kamryn Klik, Joey Mazzocco,
Alexa Perrotta and Peyton Rodgers.
Second place: Stacey Bailey, Olivia Caminiti, Stephan Gibson and Nate Pitzer
Ninth Grade– First place: Alexis Bradlley, Jude Byler, Dominic Cade, Owen Ciavarino, Dominic
Fornataro, Hailey Gonzales, Joshua Horner, Amira Johnson, Isabella Jones, Anthony Miller,
Morgan Piatt and Ava Pierce.
Tenth Grade — First place: Mary Baka, Tyler Girman, Mark Jones, Aodhan McMichael, Madyson
Newingham, Montana Pastore, Madison Soukovich and Gavin Zheng.
Second place: Taylor Anderson and Peydon Greathouse
Eleventh Grade– First place: Alison Lloyd
Twelfth Grade– First place: Austin Browne

Special Award Winners were:
Amira Johnson, 9th grade, Winner of the Most Innovative and Best Botany project , $100

Gavin Zheng, 10th grade, Winner of the Best Math project, $100 & Director's Award, $30

Alison Lloyd, 11th grade, Winner of the Best Biology project, $100 and finalist for the SRU

$12,000 scholarship

The PJAS students were sponsored by New Castle High School science teachers: Mr.
Russ Carley , Mr. Chadd Quimby and Mrs. Leah Ann Williams.