Nearly 350 students from 19 different schools competed in the Berks County Science Olympiad at Kutztown University on Jan. 11 with winning first, Exeter second and Wyomissing third in Overall Team.
Governor Mifflin won first in Anatomy and Physiology.
Exeter won first in Astronomy, Fermi Questions, Herpetology, Microbe Mission, and in Mission Possible.
Fleetwood won first in Dynamic Planet and in Forensics.
Kutztown won first in Experimental Design.
Boyertown won first in Rocks and Minerals and in Write It Do It.
Also participating were Twin Valley, Berks Catholic, Antietam, Wilson, Wyomissing, Conrad Weiser, Hamburg, and Reading.
The Science Olympiad, now in its 34th year, is “an international nonprofit organization devoted to improving the quality of K-12 science education, creating a passion for learning science and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers”, according to the Kutztown University press release. This competition is held at the local, regional, state, and national levels. Students participated in multiple events throughout the day, and top competitors were awarded at a ceremony at the end of the day.
Lowell Keebler, an instructor of Earth Sciences and Astronomy at Exeter Township Senior High School, believes this competition helps students not only in science, but also in the real world.
“It also allows them to explore areas of science that may not be covered in a traditional science curriculum. Students hone their science skills through competition. Most students are participating because they have a thirst for knowledge. The competition gives them an edge in life and teaches them how to deal with setbacks.”
Some events available for students to participate in are helicopters, hovercraft, mousetrap vehicle, rocks and minerals, and chemistry lab.
Madison Keiser, a junior at Kutztown Area High School, participated in the chemistry lab competition. In this competition, students must construct a lab procedure based on the topic given. Although this was the first year Madison has participated in this specific event, she has been part of Kutztown’s Science Olympiad teams since middle school, and continues to enjoy and look forward to the competitions.
“I like the atmosphere and challenging myself and learning new things that I don’t have the opportunity to learn in school. One year, I learned about bugs and entomology, and I learned a lot about diseases, which is actually how I got into diseases, which is something I want to do for my career now.”
Andrew Ellis, a senior at Exeter, competed in optics, thermodynamics, and Fermi questions. He enjoys the benefits Science Olympiad gives him as a well-rounded student.
“It really helps with time management, because this is a lot of work. Especially with other clubs and school work along with it, it really prepares you to manage your time well so you still have that time to hang out with friends and be social but also make sure you are preparing for your events.”
Another senior from Exeter, Nils Rickard, says Science Olympiad “allows me to take what I learned and gathered from science and chemistry and figure out what it is actually used for and put it into real life scenarios.”
Ryan Thomas, a science teacher at Kutztown High, believes this competition is extremely beneficial for students and allows them to learn and do things they wouldn’t normally be able to do inside the classroom setting.
“It is a great program because Science Olympiad allows students to do things that wouldn’t normally be offered by the curriculum. This allows science students who normally do not have a competitive edge to get practice that gives them an edge and a little bit of competitiveness when it comes to academics which is what they really excel at to begin with. But, it is a nice thing to put them out of their comfort zone and give them a test that they have to spend a tremendous amount of time preparing for and things that they have to really think on the spot for and put information together and really challenge them as much as they can.”
The regional competition will take place at Kutztown University in March with more than 675 students from 41 schools competing.
2018 Berks County Science Olympiad Results
Anatomy and Physiology1. Governor Mifflin
2. WC Bayard Rustin3. WilsonAstronomy
1. Exeter 2. WC Bayard Rustin3. Central York
Chemistry Lab1. Wilson 2. Schuylkill Valley
3. Central YorkDisease Detectives
1. WC Bayard Rustin2. Exeter3. Wyomissing Area
Dynamic Planet1. Fleetwood 2. Exeter
3. BoyertownEcology1. WC Bayard Rustin
2. Wilson3. Schuylkill ValleyExperimental Design
1. Kutztown 2. Wilson3. WC Bayard Rustin
Fermi Questions1. Exeter2. Wilson
3. WC Bayard RustinForensics1. Fleetwood
2. Kutztown3. WC EastGame On1. Wyomissing Area
2. WC Bayard Rustin3. Fleetwood
Helicopters1. Central York 2. Sun Valley
3. Wyomissing AreaHerpetology1. Exeter
2. WC Bayard Rustin3. Fleetwood
Hovercraft1. WC Bayard Rustin 2. WC East
3. Wyomissing AreaMaterials Science
1. Wyomissing Area2. Sun Valley
3. Schuylkill Valley Microbe Mission
1. Exeter 2. WC Bayard Rustin3. WC East
Mission Possible 1. Exeter2. WC Bayard Rustin
3. FleetwoodMousetrap Vehicle1. Wyomissing Area
2. WC Bayard Rustin3. ExeterOptics
1. WC Bayard Rustin 2. Governor Mifflin
3. WilsonRemote Sensing1. Sun Valley
2. Kutztown3. WC Bayard Rustin
Rocks and Minerals1. Boyertown
2. Fleetwood3. WC Bayard Rustin
Thermodynamics1. WC Bayard Rustin
2. Wyomissing Area3. WilsonTowers
1. WC Bayard Rustin 2. Sun Valley
3. ExeterWrite It Do It1. Boyertown
2. Wyomissing Area3. Conrad Weiser
Overall Team Results1. WC Bayard Rustin
2. Exeter3. Wyomissing Area
