Since its inception in 1984, the Science Olympiad has been dedicated to hosting exciting competitive tournaments and professional development workshops that showcase innovative STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) content to students and teachers throughout the United States.
For a number of years, New Richmond Middle School has bolstered an impressive Science Olympiad Team who have competed strongly in competition locally, regionally, and at the state level. The team is comprised majorly of 20 seventh and eighth grade students. Additionally, there are eight freshmen competing with the team and a handful of freshmen volunteering as coaches.
“It’s such a positive experience because they are learning beyond seventh and eighth grade standards. They are being tested on high school and sometimes even the college level,” stated advisor and coach, Ms. Schultz. “Being a part of this team, the kids have to be so self-motivated. They choose to compete in events that they’ve expressed interest in. It teaches them teamwork because they have to rely and work together. They also have to be dedicated as this spans the course of three athletic seasons.”
Each season, the Science Olympiad team attends three invitionals and then competes regionally for a shot at state, which is familiar territory for our NRMS team.
On February 17, in their second competition of the 2018 season, the Science Olympiad team traveled to New Albany. With a strong field of competition, New Richmond placed sixth out of 37 teams. In addition to a solid team score, several individuals placed in the top 10 of their events.
Matthew Heinzman & Ronja Frigard 9th in Anatomy
Jacob Weiskittel & Aaron Pike 6th in Battery Buggy
Annie George & Emily Colonel 5th in Crime Busters
Grey Murray & Michael Reissig 5th in Ecology
Ellie Arkus, Ronja Frigard & Ruby Horgan 4th in Experimental Design
Matthew Heinzman & Ronja Frigard 9th in Fast Facts
Grace Reid & Ruby Horgan 2nd in Hovercraft
Gabe Sine & Michael Reissig 7th in Microbe Mission
Liam Miller & Grace Reid 10th in mystery Architecture
Annie George & Emily Colonel 6th in Potions & Poisons
Aaron Pike & Grace Reid 3rd in Road Scholar
Gabe Sine & Liam Miller 10th in Rocks & Minerals
Liam Miller & Ruby Horgan 8th in Towers
Liam Miller & Grey Murray 5th in Wright Stuff
Other notable finishes include:
Jacob Weiskittel & Michael Reissig 13th in Herpetology
Breckin Larison & Ronja Frigard 12th in Optics
Ellie Arkus & Ruby Horgan 13th in Roller Coaster
Breckin Larison & Ronja Frigard 13th in Solar System
The New Richmond Exempted Village School District is proud of the Science Olympiad Team and all those who received high honors in competition. We know that these successes are attributed to the hard work taking place week after week as students are preparing, learning, and growing.
Furthermore, a hand of gratitude is extended to all the volunteer coaches - NRHS students, parents, field experts, and teachers - who are dedicated to expanding and challenging the minds of our students.
“It’s nice to have the volunteers in place who are knowledgeable of these various fields that we see in competition,” stated Schultz. “The great thing about all this is I don’t have to be the expert. My role is not to be teaching these content areas, but rather to provide guidance and encourage the students to be digging and learning on their own.”
