Swampscott Middle School student Gavin Campbell had always wanted to incorporate animals into a school project. He finally got his chance this spring as the school held their first science fair, giving students the opportunity to choose their own projects based on their individual interests.

After putting in hard work since February, participating students displayed their discoveries on Tuesday as families, friends and judges from the public made their way around the school cafeteria, admiring the work and asking questions.

“Science department members decided to make it a goal to bring a fair to the school this year,” said Swampscott Middle School Science Department Head Lindsey Polizzotti.

An information session was put together in February and any interested students had the chance to sign up. A total of 23 projects, from both individuals and two or three-person teams, were completed.

The students had to work rather quickly, as typically science fair projects start in the fall. Students spent time at home working on their projects as well as in sessions after school.

“This was a partnership between parents and teachers in helping these students get something extra beyond what they learn in the classroom and actually get to act as a scientist,” said Polizzotti. “It looks great. The kids are excited. Everyone’s chatting, and we got great community turnout.”

Campbell focused his project on the behaviors of different pets and how human presence influences them. He ran his experiments himself, using numerous animals and testing their behavior when near a familiar person or a stranger. Campbell wanted to find out if and how dopamine affected animals like dogs, cats, rabbits, turtles and lizards.

The inspiration behind his project stemmed from Campbell’s love for biology.

Polizzotti said it was interesting to see the range of topics the students wanted to focus on.

“We’re definitely looking forward to next year now that we know what we know from the first year. We can use it to improve and be even better,” said Polizzotti. “I’m psyched. I can’t wait to see how this program will grow in the next few years because we already hear kids talking about what they want to do next year.”

Judges from the community walked around the room surveying projects before casting their votes. In the end, Ian Hendry took home first place for his project “The Bright Side of Growth.”

Two teams tied for second place, Edric Taullai and Logan Polizzotti with “Go with the Flow” and Mira Hakstian and Harper Bogardus with “Super Stretch.”

“We’re hoping they walk away feeling like we celebrated them tonight and all of the work they put in,” said Polizzotti.