After weeks of preparation on the homefront and a solid daylong head-to-head competition with other schools from throughout the region of Michigan’s Great Southwest, seven local schools have emerged from the 31st Annual Science Olympiad at Lake Michigan College and head next to statewide competition in April at Michigan State University.
Four Berrien County Middle School teams and three High School teams cast aside fellow students from a total of 22 schools in the annual display of raw talent and ingenuity sponsored by Berrien RESA Math & Science Center in Berrien Springs.
High Schoolers advancing to MSU competition on April 28th include:
- 1st Place Winner St. Joseph High School
- 2nd Place Finisher Lakeshore High School
- 3rd Place Finisher Berrien Springs High School
Middle School teams who will be sharpening skills for statewide competition include:
- 1st Place Winner Upton Middle School in St. Joe
- 2nd Place Finisher Lakeshore Middle School
- 3rd Place Finishers from the team of Trinity Lutheran & Christ Lutheran
- 4th Place Finishers from Berrien Springs Middle School
Berrien RESA Student Activities Coordinator and Berrien County Math & Science Center Coordinator Tonya Snyder says teams from 22 schools including 12 high schools, 8 middle schools and two private schools from all over Berrien County took part in the daylong display of science, technology, engineering and math skills in a host of competition sectors.
More than two dozen students honed their skills in competitions with names such as:
- Mission Possible
- Anatomy & Physiology
- Solar System
- Wright Stuff
- Chemistry Lab
- Astronomy
- Mystery Architecture
- Thermodynamics
- Dynamic Planet
- Experimental Design
- Fast Facts
- Potions & Poisons
- Disease Detectives
- Battery Buggy
- Towers
- Write It/Do It
- Herpetology
- Crime Busters
- Hovercraft
- Helicopters
- Optics
- Meteorology
- Roller Coaster
- Microbe Mission
- Ecology
- Road Scholar
The 31st Annual Competition was hosted on multiple fronts on the Napier Campus of Lake Michigan College with medal ceremonies and trophy presentations wrapping the day before students returned to their home districts to get ready for even tougher competition in East Lansing next month.
The amazing talents of these STEM oriented students leaves parents, teachers and coaches with a good feeling for the future of American ingenuity and innovation.
