Science Olympiad team places
Kutztown Middle School finishes in 10th place at State Final Competition; individuals win medals
The Kutztown Middle School Science Olympiad team placed 10th in the state at the Science Olympiad State Final Competition held at Juniata College on April 29.
“Kutztown Middle School placed 10th in the state out of 36 of the top schools in Pennsylvania,” said KMS team advisor Bernie Boyle. Individuals also won medals. Isaiah Nygard and Abi Miller won 1st place in the Wright Stuff.
Isaiah Nygard and Sarah Love
won 1st place in Mission Possible.
Isaiah Nygard and Kelly Leiby won 5th place in Hovercraft.
Isaiah Nygard and Trenton Delp won 4th place in Scrambler.
Marina Schnell and Lauren Clymer won 2nd place in Road Scholar.
Sarah Love and Abi Miller won 5th place in Tower.
“The state final competition involves hundreds of the brightest science students from across Pennsylvania gathered on the Campus of Juniata College in Huntingdon,” said Boyle. “All of the students involved in the state-wide competition had to win their regional competition to even qualify for this event. The State Science Olympiad features the very BEST students in the state. To place in the top 10 as a TEAM is truly an accomplishment and the students involved should be recognized for all their hard work and dedication.”
Kutztown teacher Aaron Ashman explained that in order to place well in Science Olympiad, the team must score well in each of the 23 events.
“So, beyond pairs of students earning medals in six events, earning 10th in the state as a team shows a true, well-rounded team effort,” said Ashman. “The 15 students that made up the team put in remarkable effort. Some have been working all year long on mastering their topics. Some joined the team later, after a fall activity ended. Students frequently worked at home on their own, after school on weekdays, and Saturdays. Their efforts showed.”
Ashman said Boyle does a fantastic job of motivating students without being overbearing.
“He inspires students to work all year on their projects, to stay after school, and to attend Saturday sessions without turning Science Olympiad into a chore that students feel is more work than fun. It is a difficult balance that he manages to achieve,” said Ashman.
Ashman said students obviously learn a great deal of scientific information relating to their topic, “which in and of itself is worthwhile.”
“Beyond that, though, students learn time management, teamwork, and responsibility. They get to experience having teammates counting on them to prepare and perform. They get to compete against the best and brightest from other schools and see that they can match up and compete,” said Ashman.