I asked Westville teacher and Science Olympiad mentor Samantha Joll what a “good note” meant after an email was sent to me about their placings in the Science Olympiad State Tournament on March 18.
For Joll and her students, ending their season on a “good note” meant finishing in the top 10 for the middle school and top 30 for the high school team!
“We made the top 10 in the state of Indiana for the middle school team, not an easy task!” Joll exclaimed. “We were hoping top five, but we were 15 points out. Next year, that is going to be our goal!”
For just half a team, the high school’s “Great Eight” placed 28th out of 37 teams, a great finish for the one-year-old team. The middle school team came in 7th out of the entire state.
After a year of studying and practice after school and on the weekends, Joll said the tasks seen at the competition were all what they expected. According to her, the tests the students have to take during the competition are what are typically seen on college and AP level tests, which is hard, but routine for the Olympiad. No matter the difficulty, the Westville students were cool and calm, despite the competition.
“Nerves are high on competition day and State is the worst for that as it is the most intense!” Joll said. “The high school students are really competitive as are the middle school students, making a non-medal situation in an event a bit disappointing for students.”
As the 2017-2017 ends, the students and coaches are already preparing to meet the next year’s goals, which are set high.
The goal is to have both teams place in the top five at State, next year and eventually earn that first-place award.
In the meantime, Joll is working on launching the Westville Elementary school Science Olympiad team, get the young ones interested in science. Joll plans on hosting an elementary Science Olympiad competition for all La Porte elementary schools, excited to offer the love of science for all ages.
“The season was very successful!” Joll said. “We placed really well at all of our competitions and had fun being science dorks! Olympiad Rocks and Science Rules!”
Keep an eye out for next year’s team.