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Northeast Middle School team
heads for Science Olympiad finals
By PATTI TRUJILLO
Special to the Daily News
A tiny team from a small school is proving they can compete with the best in the area of science.
“There’s a team and there are 23 events—and they enter in pairs,” said Tonleah Watson, science teacher and primary coach of the Northeast Middle School Science Olympians. “I have a team of 14 and they cover all the 23 events.”
“We were fourth in regionals last year — still in the top half — second the year before, and this year we were first.”
First in the Greenville Regional Science Olympiad, she means, and headed to the state finals at N.C. State University on April 4-5.
The students, like their Washington High School counterparts who also headed to the finals, will tax one’s ability to follow along any description of a science category. They are on top of their specialties and work long hours during and after school to prepare for their events.
“I like to do this because I like to challenge myself,” said Megan Bell. “I want to be a nurse anesthesiologist. They make good money.” Her specialty is rocks.
Sarah Glancy, who specializes in Bottle Rocket, Ecology and Oceanography, says, “I’m good at nature and stuff.”
Anabel Medrano, who with partner Cassidy Ploch took a first in Anatomy in the regionals, wants to be an architect. “I like math and all that,” she said.
Her brother, Jose (Crime Busters, Amphibians and Reptiles, Bio Process Labs and Food Science) wants to be a game designer.
He says, with the specialization and partnerships, “We cover twice the space in half the time…. You’re low on time and you have to answer (snaps fingers).”
“I’ve taught him since he was this tall (holding his palm three-and-a-half feet off the floor),” said Frank Rice, Northeast’s computer skills teacher speaking of Jose. “In the science Olympiad, he’s been perfect (and) I’ve taught many of them for several years.
“Anabel was here for two to three weeks every day after school on that tower.” She took fourth in the regionals.”
“The kids learn not just content, but process skills,” Rice said. “They learn knowledge, organization, application, analyzing, integrating, generating and evaluating new knowledge.”
Watson says North Carolina has the third largest student participation in the nation in the Science Olympiad.
Adam Simmons, who built for Robo-Cross a contraption that “pushed stuff into goals for points” for a first in the regionals along with partner Will Simmons, doesn’t yet know what he wants to be when he grows up.
“We made a little cannon that shoots tennis balls with rubber bands,” said Zach Warren. The little cannon earned him and partner Will Simmons a third in Simple Machines. Warren and Jamie Council won a first in Reach for the Stars; and he and Will Simmons won a first in Trajectory.
The middle schoolers have a slight advantage that the high school participants do not have: Their categories are the same at state as they are at the regional competitions.
Blake Jackson, who won a third in Road Scholars (map skills) says, “There’s very little time to answer 50 questions. We have to know magnetic declination and azimuths on three or four different types of maps.”
He wants to be an X-ray technician when he gets older.
Erika Branch, who won a second with Cameron Bowen in Meteorology, says, “There are 50 problems to answer. We have to identify fronts and what kind of weather they would bring.
“I like meteorology and these kinds of problems.”
Bowen won a second in Metric Mastery with partner Adam Simmons. Bowen explained, “We have to estimate how long a coiled rope is or the temperature in the room — random stuff. Then find out the actual answer and compare, all in the metric system.”
She said she wants to be a lawyer and a writer.
Jamie Council took a first with Will Simmons in Crave the Wave (wave energy).
“We have to know wave lengths, the sound of waves, light waves,” Council said. “There is a test and you have to figure distances and direction.”
He and Warren took a first in Reach for the Stars. He says, “They were asking about eclipses and what order the planets are in…”
“This is good experience, good exposure and a good opportunity for them,” said Melanie Simmons, who teaches academically gifted algebra and is one of the team coaches.
“We tend to be very proud of these kids because this is a very small school in comparison with the larger schools in the regionals,” Watson said. “Some of them are four times bigger than we are. P.S. Jones in Washington is three times our size. This middle school has around 200 students.
“We always welcome community volunteers with expertise in these areas to work with the students. Maybe they are not aware of how strong our program is and the potential we have. And someday these kids will give back to this community.”
For more information on the North Carolina Science Olympiad, visit sciencenc.com.
z
By PATTI TRUJILLO
Special to the Daily News
A tiny team from a small school is proving they can compete with the best in the area of science.
“There’s a team and there are 23 events—and they enter in pairs,” said Tonleah Watson, science teacher and primary coach of the Northeast Middle School Science Olympians. “I have a team of 14 and they cover all the 23 events.”
“We were fourth in regionals last year — still in the top half — second the year before, and this year we were first.”
First in the Greenville Regional Science Olympiad, she means, and headed to the state finals at N.C. State University on April 4-5.
The students, like their Washington High School counterparts who also headed to the finals, will tax one’s ability to follow along any description of a science category. They are on top of their specialties and work long hours during and after school to prepare for their events.
“I like to do this because I like to challenge myself,” said Megan Bell. “I want to be a nurse anesthesiologist. They make good money.” Her specialty is rocks.
Sarah Glancy, who specializes in Bottle Rocket, Ecology and Oceanography, says, “I’m good at nature and stuff.”
Anabel Medrano, who with partner Cassidy Ploch took a first in Anatomy in the regionals, wants to be an architect. “I like math and all that,” she said.
Her brother, Jose (Crime Busters, Amphibians and Reptiles, Bio Process Labs and Food Science) wants to be a game designer.
He says, with the specialization and partnerships, “We cover twice the space in half the time…. You’re low on time and you have to answer (snaps fingers).”
“I’ve taught him since he was this tall (holding his palm three-and-a-half feet off the floor),” said Frank Rice, Northeast’s computer skills teacher speaking of Jose. “In the science Olympiad, he’s been perfect (and) I’ve taught many of them for several years.
“Anabel was here for two to three weeks every day after school on that tower.” She took fourth in the regionals.”
“The kids learn not just content, but process skills,” Rice said. “They learn knowledge, organization, application, analyzing, integrating, generating and evaluating new knowledge.”
Watson says North Carolina has the third largest student participation in the nation in the Science Olympiad.
Adam Simmons, who built for Robo-Cross a contraption that “pushed stuff into goals for points” for a first in the regionals along with partner Will Simmons, doesn’t yet know what he wants to be when he grows up.
“We made a little cannon that shoots tennis balls with rubber bands,” said Zach Warren. The little cannon earned him and partner Will Simmons a third in Simple Machines. Warren and Jamie Council won a first in Reach for the Stars; and he and Will Simmons won a first in Trajectory.
The middle schoolers have a slight advantage that the high school participants do not have: Their categories are the same at state as they are at the regional competitions.
Blake Jackson, who won a third in Road Scholars (map skills) says, “There’s very little time to answer 50 questions. We have to know magnetic declination and azimuths on three or four different types of maps.”
He wants to be an X-ray technician when he gets older.
Erika Branch, who won a second with Cameron Bowen in Meteorology, says, “There are 50 problems to answer. We have to identify fronts and what kind of weather they would bring.
“I like meteorology and these kinds of problems.”
Bowen won a second in Metric Mastery with partner Adam Simmons. Bowen explained, “We have to estimate how long a coiled rope is or the temperature in the room — random stuff. Then find out the actual answer and compare, all in the metric system.”
She said she wants to be a lawyer and a writer.
Jamie Council took a first with Will Simmons in Crave the Wave (wave energy).
“We have to know wave lengths, the sound of waves, light waves,” Council said. “There is a test and you have to figure distances and direction.”
He and Warren took a first in Reach for the Stars. He says, “They were asking about eclipses and what order the planets are in…”
“This is good experience, good exposure and a good opportunity for them,” said Melanie Simmons, who teaches academically gifted algebra and is one of the team coaches.
“We tend to be very proud of these kids because this is a very small school in comparison with the larger schools in the regionals,” Watson said. “Some of them are four times bigger than we are. P.S. Jones in Washington is three times our size. This middle school has around 200 students.
“We always welcome community volunteers with expertise in these areas to work with the students. Maybe they are not aware of how strong our program is and the potential we have. And someday these kids will give back to this community.”
For more information on the North Carolina Science Olympiad, visit sciencenc.com.
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