By Jisha Jinu
On February 3, 45 New Hyde Park students participated in the Senior High Science Olympiad Competition held at Kellenberg Memorial High School. Science Olympiad is a club that aims to cultivate and foster a passion for science and creates opportunities for students to explore new STEM topics through a test, lab or build event.
Students competed in 23 different events involving different fields of science including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, architecture and others. New Hyde Park competed against 14 different schools. NHP was separated into Team A, Team B and Team C, where each participant competed in two to three events in collaboration with their peers.
The events are made up of four categories: laboratory events, build events, test events or hybrid events. In laboratory events, teams are placed in a laboratory setting and complete a hands-on activity. In build events, teams must build a device in order to complete an objective then create a design log describing their device. In test events, students are tested with their knowledge of a certain field. Hybrid events are a mix of lab and test events.
The club began preparing for the competition months in advance. Students with build events constructed designs such as towers or model aircrafts for events such as Tower and Flight. Additionally, students with test events made study guides for events such as Anatomy & Physiology, Disease Detectives and Ecology. The team held weekly meetings where students met to discuss their events prior to the competition. Students utilized numerous resources online, using the Science Olympiad website and taking practice exams.
“Some of my events were Codebusters, Geological Mapping and Astronomy,” sophomore Emily Lee said. “To prepare, I studied a little each day leading up to the competition, did practice problems and made study guides for any events that needed them.”
The club not only challenged students but also encouraged them to meet new people, create friendships or develop closer relationships with peers.
“Throughout the day, I really liked the energy and how everyone was really talking to each other; even the teachers were playing charades with the team,” sophomore Andrea Ross Pineda said. “It was a very social place and I was able to talk to new people from other schools during my break of events.”
“I felt the experience was fun and enjoyable. The atmosphere of the competition at Kellenberg was inviting and interesting,” sophomore Sebastian Song said.
Source by Linda Cheung
Science Olympiad serves as an avenue for NHP students to make new friends while pursuing their interests in various scientific fields.
The Science Olympiad club is now turning its focus to growing together as a team and plans on hosting different social and fundraising events for the club.
"It’s sometimes challenging explaining to students what makes the Science Olympiad club special,” adviser Mr. Freiberg said. “It may be a gauntlet of a competition day, running from 8 am to 5 pm, but the atmosphere is welcoming and lively and brings together motivated science students for a day of fun.”
The Science Olympiad club, beyond being a place for academic growth, fosters new friendships and a sense of community. After their first competition of the year, the club excitedly anticipates the opportunities and challenges of the future.
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