Three Science Olympiad teams from the Great Neck Public Schools competed against 40 other middle school teams at the Regional Middle School Science Olympiad competition in Levittown on Feb. 9. Forty-five students from GNPS participated in the event, with one team representing North Middle School and two teams representing South Middle School.
A team from South Middle was a top finisher at the regional competition and is invited to the New York State competition in Syracuse in April. The South Middle team members who will advance to the States are Angela Bai, Luke Cha, Brayden Chien, Siddharth Gilra, Ian Lee, Sebastian Lennox, Kan Heng (Martin) Lin, Harvey Long, Eric Pei, Lillian Wang, Rachel Woo, Joy Yang, Yifei You, Yifan You, and Richard Zhuang.
At the regional event, students competed in more than 20 different challenges that require knowledge and skills in science, engineering, and technology. In addition to points, medals were awarded to the top competitors in each challenge, such as Anatomy and Physiology, Battery Buggy, Circuit Lab, Disease Detectives, Fossils, Roller Coaster, and Thermodynamics.
North Middle’s Science Olympiad team earned six medals, including first place in the Duct Tape challenge. Advisors for the North Middle Science Olympiad team are Donna Plante, Earth science teacher at North Middle, and Zehava Vitberg, Earth science teacher/North Middle science department chair.
South Middle’s Science Olympiad team that will advance to the State competition earned 30 medals, including first place in the Solar System challenge. The second team from South Middle earned six medals. Advisors for the South Middle Science Olympiad teams are Randy Lane, technology teacher at South Middle, and Dr. Doris Stanick, Earth science teacher at South Middle.
According to Tobias Hatten, science department chair at South Middle, the Science Olympiad is one of the most challenging academic competitions due to the depth and breadth of disciplines involved. “The Olympiad requires teams to work together in over 20 events that range from building a battery-powered car to identifying reptiles and their evolution,” Hatten said. “It makes STEM education a team sport.”
