Magic

This was Science Fair week. Here at Weber State, we host one of a handful of regional science fairs in the state of Utah. This year, there were about 250 participants in the Junior (7-8th grade) fair, and 150 in the Senior (9-12th grade) fair. Ordinarily, I go to the fair on Monday and Wednesday afternoon to judge the projects, or coordinate a group of judges. In the past, it's been a relatively minor annoyance for me, coming at the end of spring term, when we are all crowded full of things to do, and barely have time to tie our shoes.

But this year was different. Because next year, the Ritchey Science Fair is my job---I have to put the whole thing on. So this year, I was following the current Director around from 12:30-4 pm on Monday, 12:30-8 pm on Wednesday, and then at the awards ceremonies from 5:30-9:30 pm on Thursday, at which I got to hand out awards. Because the current Director is sneaky, and he knows that's one of the best parts.

And here's what I found out...

a) if I ever had a kid, and my kid was in an award ceremony for regional science fair, I would not sit slumped in a chair in the audience sulking and checking my Blackberry. I would clap and cheer for my kid. That's what I would do. Sometimes, I just want to smack people.

b) these kids are geniuses. Well, some of them are. I saw some truly astonishing projects, with kids doing genetic engineering, complex computer simulations, and publication-worthy social science. And some of them are going on to the International Science Fair. Wow. Their lives are about to be completely changed, and they don't even know it.

c) My voice sounds a lot different coming out of the speakers in the events center if I am smiling while I am talking---giving awards to kids when they worked really hard for them is really fun. If I'm smiling, it also SOUNDS really fun.

d) We do a lot of magical things here. And it's easy sometimes to forget what a difference we are making, because we sometimes work way too many hours and don't get nearly enough sleep. (Other times of year we make up for it...) But lives were changed this week. Literally, some kids got just the piece of encouragement they needed to keep pushing. And maybe they'll find the cure for cancer, or maybe they won't. But their worlds are bigger now. And that's what we're all about around here. Making the world bigger, one person at a time.

What happens tomorrow? Science Olympiad. Some appallingly large number of children (either 400 or 800, I can't remember) will be on campus to compete in science oriented events. (My sister just competed in Pennsylvania's S.O. a couple of weeks ago. And this week, I'm running an event at S.O. in Utah. Sometimes that just strikes me, and I pause.) But anyway. I will be in charge of this whole ball of noodles as well. Next year.

I'll try not to schedule both events for the same week.

It makes the magic too hard to see.