Science Olympiad Testimonials

As a science teacher in the public schools for the last 23 years, I have had many positive experiences relating to education, but few that have had the kind of impact on my students that the Science Olympiad has had. When we first got involved in 1988 I had been looking for something that could inspire my students to get involved in my classes. I also hoped we might be able to encourage our students to pursue careers in science. My students took to Science Olympiad like ducks to water. It was a nightmare getting organized, at first, but soon I found that there were parents, administrators, and fellow teachers willing to help. It soon became a community effort; the real key to organizing is to recruit good help and to delegate responsibility.

I have to tell you that we are a small rural school, where until 3 years ago I was the only serious "science teacher". At first I thought that the Olympiad was for the "smart" students and I actively recruited many of the smartest of our students. I soon came to find that many of the mainstream students wanted to participate as well as some of our "special" students. The rules for a team meant that I could only use 15 students, but I had twice that number interested in participation. A group of fellow teachers (coaches) and I got together and set up a pre-tournament. We decided to allow multiple teams from a school to encourage participation. We also decided that we needed to allow multiple entries in each event from each team. This further allowed students to explore their interests and individual potential. This strategy was so successful that we decided to use it in our Regional tournament. In fact it has been so successful that we are one of the largest single regions in the state of Missouri. Last year we had nearly 700 students giving up a Saturday in order to "do science".

The big pay off has been in terms of how students perceive themselves. My students don't feel disadvantaged, just because they came from a small school, they do not have a small education. They come away with the feeling that they can compete with students from all over our state. They routinely choose colleges that were not even considered in the past. They choose careers in science technology. Many of my students have gone on to become engineers. The Science Olympiad is one of the most important experiences that many of these students got out of their Jr/Sr High experience. In the short range, students gain confidence in their own abilities, there is no way that parents or teachers can really do it for them (most of my students wouldn't allow it). My teams, which have done very well over the last 12 years, are not always not made up of the "smart kids" but they are made up of the dedicated students. I will never forget the year one of my "special kids" won a medal at the State competition, he wore that medal around his neck every day for the rest of the year. His stature increased by at least 12 inches, by his own estimation, and his self-confidence was increased immeasurably.

For us the Science Olympiad has been a WIN - WIN - WIN situation. For me personally it has been the most positive experience and the greatest motivational tool in my educational career.