By Lisa Carolin
Middle school is an ideal time in a student’s life to learn about teamwork, motivation, and the excitement of meeting a challenge. Those are some of the experiences members of Beach Middle School’s Science Olympiad team enjoy.
“Science Olympiad encourages their interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) fields later in life and gives them the confidence to do so,” said Sheryl Dewyer, head coach for Beach’s team and media clerk at the school. “We have many, many kids who go on to work in STEM fields as adults.”
There are 17 students in grades six through eight currently on Beach’s Science Olympiad team. A competition team includes 15 students along with up to three alternates. Ninth-graders can also participate, but in the Chelsea school district, both the high school and elementary schools have their own teams.
“The Division B Science Olympiad team at Beach trains for and competes in Science Olympiad tournament events ranging from Disease Detectives and Rocks and Minerals to Solar System and Ecology, and designs and builds for technological events such as Battery Buggy and Hovercraft,” said Dewyer.
“Science Olympiad is a fabulous experience. It’s a home for kids who are interested in both science and technology, a place to be with other kids with similar interest, and an opportunity to shine and be acknowledged and rewarded for academic work rather than sports.” she said.
Beach’s Science Olympiad team meets from mid-October until mid-March twice a week after school. The team will be competing against close to 25 schools at the Hudson Invitational in Hudson, Michigan on Jan. 27.
On March 17 at Adrian College, 10-12 teams compete in the Region 9 competition made up of teams from Jackson, Lenawee and Washtenaw counties.
“There are a total of 23 different events that our Science Olympiad team will compete in,” said Dewyer. “On average, each student prepares to compete in three events such as Herpetology, Microbe Mission or Anatomy, and hands-on events such as Crime Busters or Potions and Poisons. They first need to master the material and then right before competitions, they start taking practice exams.”
Students also compete in Device Builds including Hovercraft, Battery Buggy, and Wright Stuff, which they have to build to particular specifications. An event supervisor sets variables at the competition, and teammates make alterations based on their calibrations to get the device to perform properly.
Dewyer says Science Olympiad participants also learn self-motivation, organizational skills, and confidence in their ability to work through challenges and problem-solving.
