The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor In an increasingly germ-conscious world, hand sanitizers are commonplace in the purses and glove compartments of the nation. But which one is the most effective? That's a question that took one Flin Flon teen halfway across Canada. Louisa Morin earned a place at May's Canada-Wide Science Fair in Charlottetown, PEI, for her project, What You Don't Know About Your Hand Cleansers. Though she did not bring home an award, the brainy Ecole McIsaac School student was grateful for the opportunity to attend. 'There were over 400 projects and lots of them were interesting to see,' Louisa told the Flin Flon School Board at their June 26 meeting. During a PowerPoint presentation, Louisa detailed the May 12-19 national fair and its busy schedule of events. She was joined by her chaperones, teachers George Trevor and Samantha Moore, both of whom also gave the fair high grades. 'It was a fantastic experience,' said Trevor. Trevor garnered laughs when he spoke of a boy from Ontario whose project, Grow with the Flow, studied the use of his own urine as a fertilizer. Louisa was the national fair's lone representative from Flin Flon. It marked her second consecutive trip to the event following her project on bacteria last year. Her entry this year concluded that the best overall sanitizer treatment was X3 Clean, though Dial Complete reduced the most bacteria. Louisa also determined that harmful chemicals in hand sanitizers are unnecessary. Organizers of the 2012 Canada-Wide Science Fair awarded nearly $1 million in cash prizes, awards and scholarships to winning finalists. The ceremony marked the culmination of a week on the University of PEI campus _ filled with presentations to judges, networking with peers and social activities for finalists. Louisa recently completed Grade 8 at McIsaac and is now ready for high school this September. Highlights Other highlights from the June 26 school board meeting, the trustees' final meeting before summer: Trustee Murray Skeavington, board chair, delivered a statement commending the sports program within the school division, including the students and coaches who take part. He recapped the year in athletics, from the banners brought home by athletes to the induction into the Manitoba High School Sports Hall of Fame of the 1950s Hapnot Kweens basketball teams. Trustee Skeavington said about 112 students at Hapnot participated in sports, out of a student body of 323. Overall, close to 540 students competed on 44 teams. Superintendent of Schools Blaine Veitch commended the organizing committee of the division's golf tournament, which saw 56 golfers take part last month. Veitch noted that McIsaac has won 70 cases of food in Shaw's Fill the Food Bank contest. The food will go to the Lord's Bounty Food Bank.
