By KRISTAL WONG
On Saturday, January 31st, 2015, Jericho High School competed in its first Science Olympiad regional competition in over ten years. The newly-formed team consisted of 16 freshmen, sophomores and juniors, and teachers Mrs. Hempel and Ms. Roman. The young scientists spent late nights studying the material and building machines in order to prepare for this rigorous competition.
The Jericho students spent their free hour before the competition decorating their assigned classroom with posters, balloons, and streamers. To show even more school spirit, the members wore yellow and blue face paint, bow ties, beads, headbands, and matching Science Olympiad T-shirts. As the day progressed, each team member did his share to decorate the room, study for exams, impound machines, eat, relax and motivate the team.The events at the competition included Air Trajectory, Anatomy and Physiology, Astronomy, Bridge Building, Bungee Drop, Cell Biology, Chemistry Lab, Disease Detectives, Dynamic Planet, Entomology, Forensics, Fossils, Game On, Green Generation, Invasive Species, It’s About Time, Mission Impossible, Scrambler, Wright Stuff, and Write It Do It. The vast array of events made it easy for everyone to compete in an area of interest.
The Science Olympiad team won 8 top ten finishes, and placed 8th overall. This was out of a total of 44 Nassau County teams, and this year the top 7 teams went on to the New York State Science Olympiad competition that was held in Syracuse. Jericho missed the state competition by one place which according to Ms. Hempel “was an amazing job for the first year.”
JHS junior and President of the Science Olympiad team Uma Kanth said, “I’m so proud that we have come so far in our first regional competition. I remember trying to advocate the idea of a team when I was a freshman, and hosting a small in-house competition last year.”
Mrs. Hempel and Ms. Roman are impressed with the team’s results. “With one year under our belts, we now know what to expect and know where we need to improve. Our potential is unlimited,” said Mrs. Hempel. “We will be ready for next year’s round of competitions.”