Marcellus Places Eighth in 2015 Mid-State Regional Science Olympiad

One of two teams representing Marcellus Central School District placed eighth overall – and both teams brought home a total of 19 medals – at the 2015 Mid-State Regional Science Olympiad held March 21 at Red Creek Central School District.

The district sent 27 students (16 on the “red” team representing grades 7 through 9, and 11 on the sixth-grade “green” team), to compete against 22 other teams from around Central New York.

“Win or lose, our Olympiad students develop character, learn an incredible amount of ‘STEM’ (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) material, and gain skills as problem solvers. I am very proud to be their coach!" said C.S. Driver Middle School science teacher Hannah Naczi, who coaches the Marcellus teams with K-6 science lab instructor Mary Jo Hoeft.

 “Science Olympiad gives participating students an opportunity to embrace a positive risk, have a chance to delve deeper into an area of interest and use and develop skills in problem-solving, creativity, tenacity and innovation,” Ms. Hoeft said. “Parents and colleagues are very supportive, and we appreciate all they do to help out. We tell our first-year students to do their best, get their feet wet and gain understanding of what the competition is all about. When they win a medal, they can see that their hard work pays off and it’s icing on the cake!”

According to the organization’s website, Science Olympiad is an international non-profit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers. These goals are accomplished through classroom activities, research, training workshops and the encouragement of intramural, district, regional, state and national tournaments.

One of the goals of the Science Olympiad is to elevate science education and learning to a level of enthusiasm and support that is normally reserved only for varsity sports programs. Science Olympiad competitions are like academic track meets, consisting of a series of 23 team events in each division (Division B is middle school; Division C is high school).

Each year, a portion of the events are rotated to reflect the ever-changing nature of genetics, earth science, chemistry, anatomy, physics, geology, mechanical engineering and technology. By combining events from all disciplines, Science Olympiad encourages a wide cross-section of students to get involved. This year’s competition covered life science, physical science, earth science, chemistry and engineering.