More than 700 middle and high school students from 34 schools throughout the State competed in the Virginia Science Olympiad State Tournament at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va. on Saturday, March 21, 2009. The opening ceremony included a colorful parade of schools and a welcome by R-MC physics professor, Dr. William Franz The keynote address was given by the Honorable L. Preston Bryant ’86, Secretary of Natural Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia and alumnus of R-MC. Secretary Bryant urged the students to continue to study hard because Virginia and America will depend on them in the next decade to help address significant issues such as climate change and the development of new alternative energy. The ceremony concluded with R-MC Provost Bill Johnston giving the charge to each school to begin the tournament. During breaks in the competition, many R-MC faculty provided tours of the science labs, gave lectures and conducted an origami workshop, while the admissions staff provided information sessions about the college and gave tours of the campus.
During this day-long competition, student teams were challenged to solve a number of mind boggling scientific and mathematical problems which included building elevated bridges and robots, analyzing forensic crime scene evidence, and getting acquainted with turtles and snakes. The Science Olympiad events are designed to use a variety of intellectual and practical skills. Some events call for a quick recall of specific facts, while others require concept development, a process skill, or an application of a specific concept. Points are assessed to each team based on national judging criteria for each event.
Medals and trophies were presented to the highest scoring teams during the Closing Ceremony. The top finishers were:
| B- Division |
C- Division |
| 1st place – Longfellow Middle School |
1st place – Langley High School |
| 2nd place – Lake Braddock Middle School |
2nd place – Fairfax High School |
| 3rd place – Haycock Elementary School |
3rd place – Chantilly High School |
| 4th place – Churchill Rd. Elementary School |
4th place – Lake Braddock Secondary School |
| 5th place – Langston Hughes Middle School |
5th place- Woodberry Forest School |
The highest scoring team for C-Division, Langley High School from McLean, Va., will represent Virginia at the National Competition on May 15 and 16, 2009 at Augusta State University in Augusta, Georgia. This is the 25th Anniversary of the Science Olympiad National Tournament.
Science Olympiad is a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of K-12 science education, increasing male, female and minority interest in science, creating a technologically literate workforce and providing recognition for outstanding achievement by both students and teachers. These goals are achieved by participating in Science Olympiad tournaments and non-competitive events, incorporating Science Olympiad into classroom curriculum and attending teacher training institutes.
For more information on this and other R-MC events, please contact Pam Cox at 804-752-3712, pamelacox@rmc.edu , or Anne Marie Lauranzon at 804-752-7317, alauranz@rmc.edu .