By Eileen Wang, Saanvi Sharma
Will East Science Olympiad is back in action this year! For those of you who are unfamiliar with this club, Science Olympiad is a team competition in which teams of students compete in 23 events, such as Forestry, Astronomy, Forensics, and more. Each year, Will East team members will study for tests, build structures, and host weekly team meetings to prepare for various stages of competition—Invitationals, Regionals, and States. Starting off this year’s competition season, Will East Science Olympiad brought three teams to compete at Invitationals, a practice competition held at Buffalo State University on December 9th. Below is a recap of this kickoff meet.
The day started off pretty early yet everyone was full of energy and well-prepared regardless. Events started off at 8 am and the teams were busy locating where their events were going to take place. For most freshmen, navigating their way around Buffalo State was the hardest part of the entire day, though in the end the building became quite familiar. All three teams spent the time socializing with one another, which was really beneficial for team bonding. Also, in the words of Science Olympiad head captain Hannah Joseph, “the competition was a great opportunity to test our skills,” allowing competitors to get a feel of what the tests would be like at Regionals and better preparing them for the real deal. She is also “very proud of all the teams for stepping up to the challenge.” When asked for her thoughts on the competition, the captain of B team Jessica Wang said, “I think they went pretty well; the teams learned a lot of things overall from the experience.” Now members know what they should be studying for, memorizing, and putting in their binders/cheat sheets. “It gave us a sense of what we need to get done in the competition that actually matters,” mentioned Michael Wang, captain of C team. The members participating in build events benefited as well, since they got to test out their towers, air trajectory launchers, wind turbines, and more, and noted how they could improve their models. The relaxed atmosphere allowed everyone to have fun while also working hard at their respective events. The weather was also in our favor, as we could walk outside without freezing (unlike last year). Later that night, the results of Invitationals were posted. Team A placed 2nd overall, Team B placed 7th, and Team C placed 11th. Congratulations to all the teams!
After Invitationals, the next stop is the Lake Erie Regionals, held at Buffalo State in early February! Keeping their eye on this official competition, team members will continue to diligently prepare for their Science Olympiad events, whether devouring more practice tests, adjusting build designs, or studying at meetings with their event partners. Best of luck to all the teams! Go Will East!
