News Bell Street Science Olympiad team preparing for national competition Published on Tuesday, 11 March 2014 03:45 In May, the Bell Street Middle School Science Olympiad team will be at the University of Central Florida, located in Orlando, competing in the 2014 Science Olympiad Nationals. “We will bring both teams, but only one will be able to compete,” said Team Coach Terri O’Shields. The teams are made up of 15 members. The team that will compete will be the 15 out of 30 who make the best team possible. “We are a family,” said the team members. They are all working to make the team, while the others will be there cheering them on. At the national competition, there are competitors from all states with programs, plus an extra team from each of the states with the largest number of schools with Science Olympiad programs. “We are up against some of the best schools in the country,” explained O’Shields. “Some are magnet schools and most are much larger than we are, with better funded programs.” While some of the states have regionals, South Carolina only has enough schools to go directly to state level. “It can be harder, because we only have one event,” said O’Shields. “If we didn’t win, we would have been done. So, if we had a bad day, we would be out.” Bell Street will compete against 60 teams at nationals, compared to just 20 for state. Last year, the team was ranked 38th out of 60. “We are small, but we pack a punch,” said one of the team members. “They are larger and have more equipment, which is more complex” added another. “It is kind of intimidating at first,” explained another. “However, it all gets down to the person,” said O’Shields. “We are all on an equal level to them.” “Our expectations are high,” said the student team members. “We are working hard to do better than last year.” At state, the team competed in 20 events, but will be competing in 23 events in Florida. The events are a mix of information and challenges which include many experiments and practical applications of scientific principles. In preparation, team members quiz one another, use flash cards, and research. They look at books and informational websites. They also work on models and run practice rounds and drills. The team is assisted by a large number of coaches. Some are parents and teachers from the schools in the district, while others are volunteers from the colleges in the area and related industries. The team practices after school every day and on Saturday. “Do it all the way, or don’t do it.” said Dianne Summer, who helps coach the team. “The kids learn to accept responsibility. All the work makes a difference to them.” “There is significant cost to go to nationals,” said O’Shields. “We have buses, hotels, meals, and educational things to prepare the team. We also work in a field trip activity while we are there.” “We will be doing every fundraising event we can think of,” said O’Shields. “But, most of the effort will be on getting ready.” The team is also seeking sponsorships from businesses and industries, especially ones that are science related. “We are raising money and being proactive, so we do the best to get everyone down there,” she added. “The first next step is getting the Clinton High School team to go with us,” laughed O’Shields. “Their state competition is on March 22. We’d love to have them go too.” The Bell Street and Clinton High teams work closely together, especially since most of the high school team was once on the Bell Street team.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 13:32:27 +0000
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