Here’s the scene: a boy standing by his poster board that his mom helped him with. We have all heard of the student who wins first place at the science fair for their giant exploding volcano, or their huge magnet that can pull a model train. But Science Olympiad is different. 

On Saturday January 23, students from ODA woke up early to go compete in the Science Olympiad at Hillsborough County High School. They ended with a overall result of sixteenth out of twenty six teams, and some individual results that are even better.

Unlike the science fair where students often work in isolation, the Science Olympiad is a live event, a science fun day, that has events that require teamwork.

“I joined it for fun. I didn’t study my entire life for it. I just did it to have fun,” said sophomore Matteo Romano.

At Science Olympiad students get to pick their events. Every year is usually the same event and students are placed into one that is a course they know or have taken.

Events include bridge building, electric vehicles, disease detective, egg drop, and so many more.

“Based on student interest, we asked students which events they were interested in and over the course of a semester they worked on their specific projects. When it came to competition, I related it to swimming, maybe backstroke isn’t your favorite thing, but today you are going to have it do it,” says Science Olympiad advisor and ODA physics teacher Mr. Militzer.

“I joined Science Olympiad because I like science and engineering, so when I heard there was a Science Olympiad team I decided to join it,” said freshman Leo Liu.

Two freshman Leo Liu, and John Floersheimer placed first for their electric vehicle out of about 20 teams.

“It took us about two weeks to build the electric vehicle. We took breaks in between to work on other projects. It felt good to win because John, and I spent a lot of time on this project,” added freshman Leo Liu.

“Leo and John won first place with their car which is awesome. They are still thinking about how they can fix it. Just like the drive in athletics, it [ambition] also holds in academics,” says Militzer.

Also two seniors, Jackie Olson, and Chris Poole, won two medals. One was for the lightest bridge that can hold the most weight.

But what exactly is the benefit from joining Science Olympiad, except for the fact that it looks great on your college app?

“The benefit of Science Olympiad is to explore and expand students knowledge, creativity, and fun. It is a good team event with people who have a similar interest in science,” says Mr. Militzer.

Now that the Science Olympiad has concluded, students will start to work on other various projects to prepare themselves for next year’s competition. The things students create usually stay the same, so they have plenty of time to get ahead.

“Some students could work ahead to next year if they are motivated, but there is a risk if something changes. The topics mainly stay the same every year. Students can put work into making the robotic arm and electric vehicle even better,” added Mr. Militzer.

If you are interested in getting involved, ask your science teacher.