3/28/2007

An amazing group of bright and dedicated Middle Schoolers recently placed third at the state Science Olympiad competition. It was the highest level ever reached at state for any Science Olympiad team in HIES history!

After placing first at Regionals, our students went on to Augusta to win the third-place trophy in a field of the top 29 schools in Georgia. The team missed a place at the National competition by a narrow margin of only eight points.

The students organized their gear to head to Augusta State University on Friday, March 23. The projects included the rubber band powered car, the trebuchet, and the 18.6 g balsa wood tower which could bear a weight of 35 pounds without breaking. They also packed up their goggles, lab aprons and calculators, the equipment needed to build a model aquifer and a 2.2 g glider airplane made of balsa and mylar to be launched from a helium balloon, which lifted it to the ceiling of the gym.

The students competed in 23 events including astronomy, meteorology, anatomy, oceanography, entomology, epidemiology, food science, heredity, reading topographical maps, metric mastery, rocks and minerals, forensics, simple machines and aquifers.

"A wide array of HIES students excelled in the competition," Kirk Duncan, Head of School, said. "Thank you to Middle School science teachers Janet Silvera and James Jackson, who, along with a special and dedicated group of faculty members, worked tirelessly after school and on weekends to prepare our students for the rigors of the Science Olympiad."

Please congratulate the following students whose hard work really paid off as they won medals or placed in the top ten in 15 of the events:

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD STATE TEAM  MEMBERS       
Kaki Bennett          
Parker Bomar          
Kate Borden           
K.C. Crewdson         
Jake Decker           
Christine Georgakakos         
Ian Gresov            
Hunter Gray           
Tyler Hayes           
Kathryn Maloy         
Sarah Palmore         
Andrew Parrish        
Callan Phillips       
Jack Thomson          
O'Neal Wanliss        
Jaya McFarland         
John Galloway         
Adam Wypyski

Regional team members are listed below. At the Regional tournament our team 1 came in first, but our Team 2 came in fifth and actually qualified to go to the State tournament.  However only one team per school is allowed.
 
TEAM ONE
Kaki Bennett
Parker Bomar
Kate Borden
K.C. Crewdson
Jake Decker
Christine Georgakakos
Ian Gresov
Howard Joe
Tyler Hayes
Kathryn Maloy
Sarah Palmore
Andrew Parrish
Callan Phillips
O'Neal Wanliss
Kathryn Weitzner
Hunter Grey
Julia Boyd
 
TEAM TWO
Payton Anderson
Clint Dolan
Pete Eigel
John Galloway
Grant Gosden
Douglas Kruse
Jaya McFarland
Sarah Minnnear
Robert Moore
Brian Parrish
William Rasmussen
Tay Rivers
Laura Sullivan
Derby Sutter
Jack Thomson
Jack Watts      

Many thanks the following people for their help in preparing students for the events: Renee Gracon, Max Silvera, Michael Poley, Pam Weitzner, Ena Wanliss, John Sullivan, Bobby Fay and Ashleigh White. Thanks also to all the parents for their help and support, especially the Bomar, Crewdson, Georgakakos and Bennett families.