By Sarah Lavin
CLARION – A group of 35 students from Clarion Area High School recently traveled with coaches Brian Burford and Kim Stormer to Penn State Behrend to compete at the regional Science Olympiad Competition and came home with medals in 18 different events.
Science Olympiad is a high school level competition in which students can compete in various fields of science such as chemistry, physics, biology, astronomy, geology and more.
The competition consists of 23 events, each centered on a specific area of science in both the senior high division and junior high division.
Each event is competed in a different way; Students may have to take a written test, perform an experiment, test a pre-built object or analyze evidence.
Students begin early January preparing for the competition.
Each student signs up for at least three different events and is responsible for obtaining the materials they need, knowing any and all information and practicing for their event.
The students met with their advisors during and after school each Wednesday as well as several Saturdays prior to the competition.
The competition consisted of nineteen different schools competing in the senior high division and fifteen different schools in the junior high division.
Despite the stiff competition, Clarion Area’s hard work paid off as they left Penn State with multiple medals.
In order to receive a medal, students had to place at least fourth in their event.
Placements
In the junior high division, fourth-place winners were:
- Riley Burford and Joyce Kim for Mission Possible and;
- Luca Cherico and Hunter Craddock for both Bottle Rockets and Wright Stuff.
Third-place winners were:
- Riley Burford and Josh Craig for Hovercraft;
- Nekane Petrissans and Sabrina Vinson for both Anatomy & Physiology and Road Scholar;
- Brianna Warner and Sabrina Vinson for Microbe Mission and Brianna Warner ad;
- Josh Craig and Alana McMaster for Scrambler.
Second-place winners were:
- Ava Cherico and Milton McElravy for Meteorology.
First-place winners were:
- Brianna Warner, Josh Craig and Alana McMaster for Wind Power.
In the senior high division, the fourth-place winners were:
- Nick Cherico, Sarah Lavin and Forest Mills for Experimental Design and;
- Forest Mills and Sarah Lavin for Write It Do It.
Third-place winners were:
- Austin Stivanson and Matthew Mitchell for Hovercraft and;
- Victor Stahlman and Quentin Kline for Rocks & Minerals.
Second-place winners were:
- Victor Stahlman and Cody Klingler for Dynamic Planet;
- Zachary Lavin and Sarah Touster for both Disease Detectives and Optics and;
- Kent Peterson and Cody Klingler for Helicopters.
First-place winners were:
- Elizabeth Ketner and Quentin Kline for Material Science.
Overall, Senior High Division of Clarion Area received a tie for fifth place and junior high division received fifth place.
The top four overall winners will move on to the state competition.
Although the students of the senior high division are disappointed they will not be moving on to states for the first time in five years, they are proud to have given their all and to have come very close to moving on.
Each member of the Science Olympiad team has worked hard towards this competition and is proud to be on the team.
The teams would like to thank both Burford and Stormer for being wonderful coaches.