Holy Cross School student takes gold at state science fair

Holy Cross Catholic School in Batavia is pleased to announce that eighth-grader Emery Carlson has earned a gold medal for the second year in a row at the Illinois Junior Academy of Science state science fair in Peoria.

At this year's fair, she also won the Best in Category for Biochemistry in the junior division.

Emery competed against thousands of students from 12 different regions across the state.

Students advanced through local and regional competitions with scores of 90 or above to qualify at the state level. Emery competed in the biochemistry category with her poster titled, "Organic: Friend or Faux?"

The purpose of her project was to test whether organic fruits and vegetables have a lower level of pesticides and nitrates than conventional fruits and vegetables.

Holy Cross Catholic School, 2300 Main St., opened its doors in August 2008 as the first new Catholic school in the Rockford Diocese.

Currently serving over 425 students from the Fox Valley and surrounding area, Holy Cross Catholic School provides an intensely faith-based and academically challenging education to students in preschool through eighth grade.

For more information about the school, call (630) 593-5290 or visit them online at holycrosscatholicschool.org or www.facebook.com/holycrossschoolbatavia.