My name is Professor Harlin Haddock.
I teach about the sciences.
I’m not the best at clothes and fashion,
But I can fix broken appliances.
I work at the School of Scholarship
In Ottawa of the Canadians!
I’m told I have a French accent.
Not at all like the Arabians.
Each spring I hold a savvy contest,
The World’s Largest Science Fair,
Where students’ dreams are my guest
With boldness, love, and flair.
I give ribbons to the top three winners
Who designs the best projects.
There are so many interesting ones
That come in all subjects!
Some students build flashing lightbulbs
While others explode volcanoes.
I’ve judged robotic moving hands
And how to float potatoes.
Spaceships built for Venus and Mars.
Egg drops to prove Newton’s laws.
Sketches for flying electric cars.
Rollercoasters and swinging seesaws!
Then there is fingerprint analysis
And understanding your DNA.
There’s also how to cure paralysis
And blocking the sun’s UV ray.
You could brew up bubbling root beer
Or grow a carbon sugar snake.
Whatever my students decide to do
I require that it not be fake!
So, learn your chemistry equations well.
Make sure to pass your physics test.
Mathematics is more than numbers alone.
Scientists have a lot to digest!
If you’d like to make an entrance,
Postmark it by the fifth of May.
I don’t take any late entries,
Not a single solitary day.
You must be under 18-years-old.
No adults are allowed to enter.
I hope that doesn’t seem too cold,
I’m trying to find the young inventor.
You can’t cheat your way to winning.
Be an original who thinks for themselves.
I know that I’ll soon be grinning,
Looking at my entries on the shelves.
The future of tomorrow is at hand.
We can create solutions together!
Wisdom and knowledge understand
That geniuses are birds of a feather.
Copyright 2023 Jennifer Waters
