All 1st and 2nd Place Winners at the Region VIII Social Studies Fair will be eligible to participate in the State Social Studies Fair. A packet with the state entry form and needed information will be placed on all 1st and 2nd place winners’ projects on the day of the regional fair.
7:30 a.m. Doors open to the University Center at Gate 3 upper level for setting up projects. You must sign in at the tables located there. A room will be designated for teachers with refreshments in the morning.
All projects requiring electricity are located along the walls. I suggest that if you need electricity to bring an extension cord just in case it is needed. Make sure your students know which Division (Division 1 4th-5th grade), (Division II 6th -8th grade), (Division III 9th – 12th grade), and their discipline (Anthropology, Economics, Geography, History, Louisiana History, Political Science, or Sociology) so they can easily find their labels in order to set up their projects.
8:30 a.m. Only students can remain by their projects. All students must remain with their projects until an announcement is made that judging is complete. Please inform your students to remain with their projects during the judging, some projects may be judged more than once. That is up to the discretion of the judges. Their decisions are final. Every project must be judged at least once. For safety reasons, no running, climbing, or playing on, under, or around the tables. (No sitting on the tables.) No chairs are allowed on the floor unless there is a medical reason. If so, please contact me through e-mail before the fair day. This allows the judges to move through the aisles. No food or drinks allowed by the projects unless it is needed for medical reasons. Someone could accidentally spill their drink on a neighbor’s project. Students may bring an ipod, phone, game system or even better a book, but it is their responsibility to keep up with them. No radios please. Failure to observe these rules may lead to disqualification. The Region VIII Social Studies Fair is not responsible for any valuables brought by students. Don’t leave anything valuable by your projects when you leave for lunch.
time to be announced on the day of the fair: Everyone (students, parents and teachers) need to be in the University Center for the Awards Ceremony. I will call to the floor any 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place winners for them to receive their awards. Please have winners remain for pictures after the ceremony. All 1st and 2nd place winners are eligible for participation in the State fair. Note that not all Divisions and Disciplines may have a winner that is up to the discretion of the judges. For example if there is only 1 student in a discipline that doesn’t mean they will automatically place 1st.
All students are free to leave after the awards ceremony, so probably by the latest 1 p.m. We may finish sooner. Students are not to leave unless they have a parent or teacher with them for safety reasons.
There will be no grand prize judging for 1st place winners.
You do need to sign in your projects. An information table is set up to help parents, teachers and students find their spot if needed. Once you arrive at the U.C., you need to go to Gate 3. Announcements will be made to clear the judging area in preparation for judging to begin.
Parents and teachers will not be allowed in the project area during judging. Announcements will be made throughout the day concerning the schedule. No communication between students and parents or teachers will be allowed during the actual judging. This will be strictly enforced. Public viewing of projects after judging or when announced.
Students must remain with their projects throughout the judging periods from 8:30 to 11:30. The Judges will view all projects at least once between 8:30 and 10:30. It may be necessary for the Judges to view some projects more than once when determining winners. If you have not been judged at all by 10:30, notify someone at the Information Table immediately. An announcement will be made for the awards ceremony on the day of the fair.
Cameras and video cameras will not be allowed in the judging area during the judging period from 8:30 to 11:00. This will be strictly enforced.
The Judges’ Room is off limits to everyone except the Judges and other Fair personnel. Inquiries should be directed to the Information Table.
Participants, parents, and teachers frequently express concern about the number of times that a project has been judged. In the past there have been complaints that some students have been “judged” once, while others have been “judged” several times. In fact a project may be examined only once by the judges, or it may be viewed several times by the Judges where there is difficulty in making decisions about winners. But the fact that judges look at some projects more times than others does not indicate any discrimination. It merely reflects the judges’ need to obtain more information for some entries. Complaints should not be made in such cases. Complaints should be made at the Information Tables only if an entry has not been judged at all by the end of the judging period, that is, by 11:30am.Their decisions are final.
Subject to change:
Plaques. Plaques will be presented for 1st place winners, both Individual and Group, for each Division.
The director reserves the right not to award a first or a second place ribbon where only one or two entries are received if gross errors are found to exist in the project or judges feel the project is not ribbon material.
Ribbons. Ribbons will be presented for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Place, both Individual and Group, for each Discipline. Honorable Mention ribbons will be presented for all other projects.
Certificates. Certificates of Appreciation from the Region VIII Social Studies Fair will be presented to all participants.
