The Science Olympiad season continued for students at St. Mary Catholic Community School with a competition at Valparaiso University on Saturday, January 11th. The teams earned medals in seven events!
Seventh graders Sean Johannson and Luca Trajkovski took third place in “Reach for the Stars,” an event geared towards astronomy. This is their second year competing together in this event. The pair also worked together in Dynamic Planet, a test event focused on processes that change the earth. Sean said, “I never knew how much there was to learn about glaciers!”
Eighth graders Sara Cooley and Dani Fleming competed together in Crime Busters, a forensics-based event. This is their second year competing together. “It was great to be able to participate in the event in a real college chemistry lab. It was a fantastic learning experience!”
Seventh grader Gabe Rosado, stepped out of his comfort zone, and learned all about bugs for the entomology event. He learned a lot of interesting facts, which helped him and his partner, Regina Andras, take third place. Gabe and his partner, eighth grader and first year competitor Desmond Moses also took third place in Anatomy and Physiology, which focused on the skeletal, muscular, and the integumentary systems and related diseases.
Dani Fleming and Luca Trajkovski competed in the helicopter event where the two had to build a helicopter. The students then used trial and error to ensure that the device was able to stay in the air for the maximum amount of time. Dani said, “It was great to see all of the progress come together!”
Back row: Deb Shea, Nick Mumaugh, Sean Johansson, Luca Trajkovski, Genevieve Abad, Theresa McLoughlin Front row: Connor Bronson, Kailana Urbane, Lucas Raloff, Dani Fleming, Sara Cooley, and Sophia Scalzetti
Genevieve Abad (left) and Regina Andras (right)
Gabe Rosado (left) and Desmond Moses (right).
Connor Bronson (left) and Nick Mumaugh (right)
Students from various schools gathered to compete in a wide array of science-related challenges, ranging from biology and chemistry to engineering and physics. Participants demonstrated their problem-solving skills, creativity, and scientific knowledge as they tackled tasks such as building towers, designing experiments, and solving theoretical problems. The event provided an excellent platform for young minds to engage with STEM disciplines, and fostered a spirit of curiosity and collaboration. The students will go on to compete at in several more invitationals before regionals in March, which will take place at Ivy Tech in Lafayette.
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