2008 Woodie Awards
Middle and high schoolers compete in Science Olympiad on UNCG campus
Rebekah Cansler
Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: Campus News
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Students from Greensboro and farther in the Triad came together to compete for awards in categories ranging from individual science events-such as Egg-O-Naut, Boomilever, Bottle Rocket Build and Blast Off-to overall best performing school.
The day began for these students at 7:30 a.m. and many were not allowed to slow down their creative productivity until 4:00 p.m. when the awards ceremony began.
Not only though did the day begin as a long one for the 30 schools that competed, but for some it has been a lengthy journey beginning before the Saturday events even took place. Many schools began planning, researching, building, testing, and studying for this day the moment the school year started.
Paisley International Baccalaureate School's teams meet at least once a week after school for two hours. The high school team met twice as much and although this time was most of the team's planning and building, the time in no way accounted for the hours per week that each student spent researching and studying on their own.
Not only were the students studying this much on their own, but this was a voluntary event where the students chose the field in which they wanted to compete. Even though the students were very dedicated to their projects, not all competitors were the "valedictorians" of the school.
"Everyone in the school is allowed to participate, but not all of our best science students are all-around A students. Sometimes they are B and C students in the other subjects," Sue Whiteside, Science Department Chair of Paisley International Baccalaureate School, commented.
Overall, the teachers supervising just wanted the students to have fun and enjoy science without being worried about the grades. Many also hoped that this event and many events in the future would champion a career through preparation and participation in the Science Olympiad.
If high school students placed in this regional event, they would move on to compete at the state level. If the school continued to do well, they would also go on to compete at the national level. Scholarships were awarded to the top high school students for N.C. State University.
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