Science Olympiad: Learning and Competing
Augustin Liu and Tyler Edwards are make bottle rockets in preparation for States.
For 32 years, the Science Olympiad competition has led a revolution in science education. Thanks to the program, kids from all over the country learn new science topics while having fun.
Every year, the Bedford Middle School Science Olympiad team competes at the state level, and if they win, at the national level. BMS finished third in the state two years ago. Last year, the team was first in the state while edging out rival Old Lyme. Last year, the team won the Bedford Middle School Invitational and finished in an impressive 38th place in the national competition out of the sixty teams that joined.
Science Olympiad competition includes three different skills: building skills, study skills, and design skills. The events of the Science Olympiad range from bottle rockets to meteorology.
Tyler Edwards, an eighth grader who is on the team, says that “It is important to learn about these topics. I got to learn how to use tools, build things, and measure properly. You obtain lots of important experiences.”
Science Olympiad is an international non-profit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers.
These goals are accomplished by classroom activities, training workshops, research, and the encouragement of intramural, district, regional, state and national tournaments. The tournaments are rigorous academic interscholastic competitions that consist of a series of team events which students prepare for during the year. These challenging and motivational events are well balanced between the various science topics of earth science, biology, physics, technology, and chemistry.
In addition, there is a balance between events requiring knowledge of process skills, science concepts, and science applications. Also, during the day there are open house activities that consist of mathematics and science demonstrations and activities and career counseling sessions conducted by scientists and professors at the host institution. All of this happens concurrently with the events.
Tyler also says that he loves Science Olympiad and wants to do it next year. “It’s really fun because you get compete, and if you win you get to go to the national championships. It is a really cool and fun experience being on a team, and getting to know your advisors and teammates.”
The main goal of Science Olympiad is to elevate science education and learning to a level of enthusiasm and support that is normally reserved only for varsity sports programs. Kids join this club because it is a fun way to make friends and learn new things about their interest in science.
This team is led by Mr. Ellis and Ms. Nicholas, both STEM teachers at BMS. They both love doing this club and teaching kids science outside of the classroom where there are no grades. Students in all grades can join the club whenever they want to. Meetings are two to three times a week after school in either the library or room 136.
This team provides a fun learning environment with teamwork for anyone who wishes to join. Mr. Ellis sums up the whole point of this club by saying, “[This club] allows kids to pursue a passion for its own sake. No grade, no reward, but for the satisfaction of doing a good job with your friends.”