The Science Olympiad members can be found studying in classrooms long after school has ended. From practice tests in the academic events to sanding down wood to make planes, students have spent months preparing for the regional Science Olympiad tournament on Saturday, March 19.

The regional tournament begins at 9:15 a.m. at Grand Valley State University

Students have been studying and going to weekly practices since Dec. 11. when the team was formed. The Blue and Gold scrimmage was at GHHS on Saturday, March 5. From what he has witnessed in practice and at the scrimmage, Coach Mike Reed expects the team to do well in the tournaments.

“We should do well at the regional tournament,” Reed said. “This will be our 31st year of attending the regional tournament.  We have won 24 times in the last 30 years (first place for the last 11 years in a row) and we have always advanced to the state tournament.”

Science Olympiad is a science and technology competition between teams from different schools. It covers the areas of Life, Personal and Social Sciences, Earth and Space Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, Technology and Engineering, and Inquiry and Nature of Science.  There are 23 events total.

There are 24 students on our team, but only 15 are allowed to compete. The coaches won’t determine who will be competing until after March 5.

The students on the team voted and elected the team captains from the group of seven seniors on the team. Captains Emily Stringham and Haley Kalis have been in Science Olympiad since sixth grade and have been very successful competitors.  

“As seniors, they are leaders in practically every event they are doing, Reed said. They are both excellent students and they work very hard”

The students are practicing their events until the tournaments take place. Other tournaments are State April 30 and National May 21. After this the state tournament is at Michigan State University, and the national tournament is at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, in Menomonie, Wisconsin.

“I’m very confident this year as we compete in our tournaments,” Reed said.