The Deerfield Science Olympiad Team placed twelfth out of forty schools in the Masaschusetts State Science Olympiad.
The Olympiad, held at Framingham State College over the last weeked of spring break, involved events covering a wide range of topics, such as fossils, archeology, ornithology, cell biology, and food chemistry.
Students took written exams, performed laboratory assignments, and participated in “building events,” which included the construction of elevated bridges and mouse trap vehicles.
According to Olympiad Officer Jennifer Chu ’11, the team of fifteen – the last year’s team only consisted of five members – performed remarkably well against the “fierce competition” from other high schools.
While the team started to get ready for the competition only a few months in advance, other schools began their intense preparation much earlier. “Other schools have lab coats and goggles as uniforms. This is their varsity sport,” said Chu.
“Dr. White was there to guide us, but it was more student-run,” added Olympiad Member Emlyn Van Eps ’12. Students designed their own structures for building events and studied independently for exams, using various textbooks and websites.
Looking ahead to next year, Chu said the team plans to “start preparations earlier and work more on written exams.” The team also hopes improve on building events and to participate in regional competitions as practice for next year’s State Olympiad.
“We always welcome new members who are interested in science, want to learn, and like to have fun,” reminded Chu.
In the upcoming Science Symposium on April 29, the Olympiad team will display projects it built for various events. Chu stressed the importance of sharing and talking with the community “about things we learned at the Olympiad,” for “many members spent lots of time and effort studying and preparing.”
Science Teacher Mark Teutsch explained that students enrolled in all science courses and certain math courses will also participate in the Symposium. The Physics Projects class, for example, will present laboratory research conducted on electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar panels.
Mr. Teutsch believes it will be an excellent opportunity for both the Science Olympiad Team to share their works and for other students to have the “experience of organizing their research and presenting it to others.”