Regardless of whether your child shines at science or merely gets by, or whether they live near or far away from Consortium, Science Olympiad  is a great place for your child to challenge themselves, compete in a team, and learn more about the world around them in a fun and rewarding setting!

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Year after year, we see students learn more than they ever thought they could – even moving up to college level material.  If your child likes science, there’s an event for them!  If they don’t, they will after this!

 

What is Science Olympiad?

Students work in pairs to prepare in depth for many different types of science-related challenge events. Each student does around 3 or 4 events so that a team of up to 15 students covers all 25 events.  We match each student’s interests and skills with the events assigned and the teammate selected. We then attend tournaments with other schools to compete for individual event medals and a total team score. 

 

Science Events

There are three types of events:

1. Knowledge - e.g. Anatomy, Invasive Species, Rocks & Minerals, Fast Facts (Science Scattergories)

2. Skill – e.g. Crime Buster Forensics, Experimental Design, Food Science, Optics – Laser Shoot

3. Build – e.g.  Bridge, Hovercraft, Wind Power, Wheeled Vehicle, Glider

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A full listing of last year's events is at https://www.soinc.org/2017-event-table.  We anticipate that many will be the same or similar next year. The B Div is for grades 6-9 and the C Div is for 9-12.

 

Preparation

Student pairs have a coach for each event who will help them to prepare according to the competition guidelines.  Science Olympiad content is designed to be challenging, not aiming for memorization as much as solid understanding and application.  Students meet outside of designated classes to prepare for their event, in either study hall times or other outside times and locations that are convenient for the students.  For those who live further away, we have organized online meetings. In order to be prepared for success in competition, students need to be committed to doing homework and getting together with coaches based on mutual availability.

 

Competitions

Depending on the number of students involved, one or two teams typically compete at the Invitational(s) and Regional Competitions with other schools.  If HVC does well enough at the Regional Competition, then we move on to the State Competition.  We usually attend a practice tournament in January, one in February, and have our Regional competition in March, with States in April.  

 

Class Times

This year Science Olympiad will have 2 meeting times available.  We will keep our Thursday 8:00-9:30 time, but are also adding another option of Tuesdays 3:00-5:30 as a built in extra practice time.  You do not need to sign your child up for both sessions, but it may help reduce the amount of out of class time needed for them to meet with their coaches.  We encourage your child to sign up for both times if they are available. 

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