For the first time in school history, a team comprised of 15 Brockport High School students qualified for the New York State Science Olympiad Tournament to be held at Lemoyne College next month.
The team placed fourth overall out of 29 teams in the Science Olympiad Regional Championship held at The College at Brockport on February 2. Additionally, Brockport High School students medaled in eight out of 24 events, meaning they placed within the top six, and several students finished in the top 10.
Science Olympiad challenges students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through team-based competitions and hands-on and written testing. This year, students designed and constructed mousetrap vehicles, boomilevers, Rube Goldberg machines, proteins, musical instruments, cooling devices, rubber band powered airplanes and a working hydrometer. Students also studied and prepared for tests and labs in various science fields, including glaciers, herpetology, genetics, thermodynamics, astronomy, chemistry, anatomy, epidemiology, technical writing, geology and environmental science.
Science Olympiad not only provides students the opportunity to immerse themselves in science education, but it also builds their excitement about life after high school.
“Mr. Palmer (Brockport High School technology teacher) and I are so proud of how hard these students prepared for these events. It’s great to see these students so excited about STEM and putting what they’ve learned to good use,” said Joseph Flanagan, Brockport High School biology teacher and Science Olympiad advisor. “Our hope is that the skills and knowledge they learn from these events will help them prepare for successful STEM careers in the future. The future looks pretty bright for these kids.”
Winning teams will advance to the national tournament, which will be held at Cornell University in June.
Medals (given to top six in event)
•Hudson Panning and Lily Panning, First Place, Dynamic Planet
•Lilly Bishop and Hudson Panning, Second Place, Mission Possible
•Lauren Dailey and Merin Squillante, Second Place, Water Quality
•Kaylee Blum, Hudson Panning and Merin Squillante, Third Place, Experimental Design
•Lilly Bishop and Laine Ramsay, Fourth Place, Designer Genes
•Lily Panning and Cody Place, Fourth Place, Boomilever
•KhaVy Sangasy and Samantha Mazzarella, Fifth Place, Astronomy
•KhaVy Sangasy and Kaylyn Weits, Fifth Place, Fossils
Top 10 in event
•Abby VanGelder, Seventh Place, Codebusters and Eighth Place, Forensics
•Katie Crissman, Eighth Place, Forensics
•Gianna Tribotte, Eighth Place, Herpetology
•Kodie Kahle, Ninth Place, Mousetrap Vehicle
Provided information and photo
