Release
DURANT — Durant resident Aurora Shirey, a second grader at Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy (OVCA), recently won first place at the elementary school science fair by demonstrating that plants grow faster when surrounded by music.
For her experiment, 8-year-old Aurora grew two tomato plants from seeds in identical conditions. For 10 days, Plant A “listened” to calming music and nature sounds from an mp3 player. Plant B had no music. Throughout the growing period, Aurora took photos and notes, ultimately proving her hypothesis.
“People and plants are similar in many ways,” Aurora observed. “I think the plant liked the music because it helped it to relax and feel strong.”
This is Aurora’s first year at OVCA. Her mother, Becky Shirey, has her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and said attending OVCA has enhanced her daughter’s curiosity, which complements the family’s interest in the outdoors, gardening and camping.
“OVCA has challenged Aurora to try new things, and I feel it has helped her with her studies and focus,” Becky said. “As a mom and educator, I am so proud of her.”
For her first-place win, OVCA awarded Aurora a new microscope so she can continue her interest in science exploration.