Over the last few years, it is no secret that STEM has been a major factor in the development and promotion of Central Catholic. Science, technology, engineering, and math are all subjects of interest and with the introduction of the new STEM building, students are given better opportunities to work hands on with state of the art technology. However, with the introduction of all this, some things just don’t change. The Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) Competition has provided Central students with opportunities to experiment, analyze, and present data to science teachers from all over the state for decades. Central’s moderator for this competition is Mr. Krotec, who will be mentoring for his thirty-eighth straight year starting this winter. This year, Central Catholic hopes to obtain its reputation as one of the best and most prominent schools in the competition with the average number of students ranging from forty to eighty  students.

To gain more insight into all the aspects of the competition, I interviewed John Lynch, who is a fourth year participant in PJAS. John is currently a junior at Central Catholic and for those who know him, it is no secret that he loves STEM. As an eighth grader, a John entered his first PJAS competition with ambitions of not only learning but interacting with fellow students, possessing similar interests. Having had a great experience as an eight grader, John continued his participation in the competition with the help of Mr. Krotec and sixty other students. This made for a completely different experience when compared to grade school, “PJAS at Central Catholic is a completely different experience, you are never alone, interacting and engaging with other students helped me to produce my best work”. The Central Catholic sense of brotherhood is shown strongly through the teamwork involved with PJAS. John emphasized the importance of this teamwork, “We all help each other out…When you do your experiment, other students help you with plating… When you’re putting together your presentation, you have to find students give you feedback. Teamwork is a vital part of the process.”

PJAS also gives students the opportunity to get hands on with cutting edge science.  As a sophomore, Lynch did work with stem cells, testing the effects of liquor on 3T3 mammalian cells. Knowing the strenuous time requirements of this experiment, Lynch’s curiosity prevailed, “The experiment was very time consuming but very rewarding. If you think about it, how many high school students have the chance to work with cutting edge science like stem cells? So I took the opportunity at hand and ran with it; I think that knowing how to conduct experiments with stem cells will be beneficial for me in years to come.”

Mr. Krotec works to provide Central students with everything necessary to satisfy their curiosity in science, giving them the opportunity to experiment on a wide variety of categories from many different fields of science. PJAS also bridges the gap between information you learn in school, with independent outside research. Even if you don’t have Mr. Krotec as a teacher, PJAS is a great way to pursue your interests in science. Lynch claims, “I enjoy this competition because I want to see how successful I am in modeling the real world.” PJAS gives you the opportunity to be the scientist and provides you with skills in experimentation, presentation, and analyzation that apply beyond the world of science. This winter, Lynch and many other Central students from all four grades hope to test their luck and skills gained through their participation in PJAS.