Science Olympiad results

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Science Olympiad
June 5 was the Science Olympiad competition at Ann Arbor's Skyline High School. Kids from about 19 Washtenaw County schools competed in events covering map reading, water rockets, architecture, math, chemistry, anatomy, and more. The second and third graders competed in the morning, and the fourth and fifth grades competed in the afternoon.



K won a fourth-place medal in Map Reading with Tomoki, his teammate, friend, and across-the-street neighbor. Map Reading requires the students to understand and read a map, such as asking what the distance between two locations on a map, or whether a location is north, south, east, or west of another location. K also competed in Mystery Architecture, an event where they are given a bunch of random building materials such as popsicle sticks, newspaper, pipe cleaners, and paper plates, with which they were to build the tallest structure that would support the weight of a tennis ball. Map Reading and Mystery Architecture were among the most popular of the events, so winning a medal in one of these says a lot.

M competed in Estimania and "A is for Anatomy". The former requires the students to estimate weights, measurements, and mathematical calculations to get the closest possible answer. For example: "A TV at Best Buy costs $247, and it is on sale for 22% off this week. How much is the sale price?" The students would typically round to 20% off $250, then make a small adjustment down to account for the estimating error. This is a three-person event, but fourth grade this year was only able to send two competitors, which put M his teammate at a disadvantage.

"A is for Anatomy" is an event where the students learn about the body - the heart, lungs, digestive system, and so on. M can tell you the parts of the heart, and the order in which blood flows through them as a result of his training.

All of these events were coached by very dedicated parents at Lawton, and because this is such a giant event, there are many volunteers that work behind the scenes to put it all together.

I spent most of the day in the area where the bulk of the competitions were held, and it was my job to make sure all the kids got to their rooms on time and to clear up any problems getting to and from those rooms. There were lots of volunteers in the area that helped with these tasks, and I kept the trains running on time, as they say. I sort of stumbled into this position because my neighbor is on the board of directors of the competition, and she asked me to help. It's nice to be trusted to do something as difficult as this. I'm sure my check is coming in the mail any day... (no, it's not.)

The website for the Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympiad is here.

The boys worked very hard and practiced at school and at home for their events, and they both did very well. Their school won the overall grade awards for 2-5 grades, which happens to be all the grades. The school always does well, as we have more students than any of the other schools, and we have a long history with the Olympiad. We also have great parents, volunteers, and coaches, and we have kept strong over the years.

I'm so proud of their hard work and patience. They've learned so much, and they're so fortunate to have such a great school and great friends to team up with.
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