On Saturday, February 25, eight teams from seven schools across the state (Park Tudor had two teams) brought their all to the Science Olympiad regional competition.  West Side’s team of ten was among one of the smallest there, but took first place with 54 points and 10 out of 23 first place medals.
There were twenty-three events, all of which could be categorized in the broad categories of biology, chemistry, physics, earth science or technology. About two-thirds of these events had some type of hands-on or building component. Some of the building projects had to be built beforehand, like the “Gravity Vehicle,” a car run down a steep ramp and set to stop at certain points. Other events included chemistry labs, analyzing rock samples, forensic experiments and a variety of what coach Mr. von Werder referred to as “pencil and paper type of activities” requiring lots of math and fact based knowledge.
When asked how much time the team spent preparing, Mr. von Werder chuckled. “We actually didn’t meet very regularly until recently,” he said. Sophomore Phoebe Moh explained that most of the preparation is individual work, like studying for the trivia and working on the building projects.
West Side also had a small team, only taking ten people when up to fifteen were allowed. Almost all of the team members were competing in four or five events over the course of the day. Melinda Crane, who has been involved in Science Olympiad since seventh grade, attributes this to State ISSMA being on the same day, leaving her and several others unable to participate. Melinda says most of these teammates are planning to attend the State competition at IU on March 24th.
Moh says she took place in five events this year: Experimental design, thermodynamics, game on, sounds of music, and rocks and minerals. She explains her favorite of these was Game On. “It’s basically where you program a short computer game, and you only have 15 minutes to do it. It was really fun for me because I like programming.” She also says that Game On wasn’t a “real” event, but a trial challenge that is a test to see how participants react to these possible future events. “We’re like guinea pigs.” Phoebe says. When asked her favorite part, she mentioned the awards ceremony. “It’s over; it’s done, so you can just cross your fingers. There’s always this moment of “did we do it”?”