Eight St. Peter Schaumburg students heading to IJAS State Science Fair

The 2026 Science Fair season at St. Peter Lutheran School has reached a milestone, with eight seventh- and eighth-grade students advancing to the IJAS State Exposition at Southern Illinois University this April.

This achievement is the result of a journey that began last August, led by dedicated teachers Sheryl Duff and Vicki Kiviranta. Under their guidance, students were mentored through every rigorous step of the scientific method. From the first spark of choosing a personal topic to deep-dive research at the library, these young scientists transformed their curiosity into professional-grade projects. Students created a display board, written research papers, and a final oral report.

Nine St. Peter Schaumburg students qualified to advance to the Region 6 Science Fair at Stevenson High School, where every St. Peter student earned a gold rating. Special recognition goes to major award winners:

• Jeffrey & Katie: Named “Top Projects” in their divisions.

• Gia: Won the Edge One Medical Award for engineering excellence.

• Makayla: Won the “Service Above Self” Award for healthy world innovation.

These students, along with Ella, Josey, Regina and Nola, have been invited to compete at the IJAS State Exposition at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale on April 24-25. The school is proud of these eight qualifiers as they prepare to present their work on a collegiate stage in Carbondale. St. Peter Lutheran School congratulates its scientists and their mentors on a season of true excellence. For more information, visit ijas.org or stpeterlcms.org/school.