Science Olympians make State competition

Friday, February 29, 2008

The WHS Science Olympiad team is busy getting ready for State competition, having recently qualified at a Regional event at Purdue Calumet. The Science Olympiad season began with Whiting hosting their second Invitational competition. Since then, science teachers Dan Nichols and Jeremy Long have coached the team at events every Saturday for the past two months. These competitions have honed students’ skills, earning them a 2nd place finish at Northridge HS, a 3rd place at South Bend Riley, a 1st place at Morton, and a 2nd place at Loyola Academy. At the Regional meet, WHS tied with Munster for 1st place, with the higher ranking being granted to Munster for earning a greater number of individual gold medals. Many of the events are written tests on topics ranging across Forensics, Food Science, Oceanography and Astronomy. However, spectators enjoy watching rubber-band powered airplanes circle, robots scramble and electric cars zip along. Balsa wood towers endure increasing weights of sand and music is performed on homemade instruments. In each of these events, students create their own devices following specifications set for the year. Having successfully competed against a number of past State champions this season, Whiting’s Science Olympians have high hopes that they will earn a National bid during the State competition on March 29th.