By Dominik Lobkowicz
Jason Holbrook (right) and Merritt Gould inspect a glider for the “elastic launch glider” event at the state Science Olympiad competition March 21. (Photo courtesy Madelon Kelly) |
Medomak Middle School’s Science Olympiad team earned a first-place finish in the state meet for the third year in a row this March, but some complications made this year’s win
more of a nail-biter, according to team coordinator Madelon Kelly.
The state meet was held at the University of Southern Maine on March 21.
Unlike in 2014, when MMS sailed away with the crown due to its competitors failing to show, “this year we had a bunch of schools up against us, and a bunch of
schools that were clearly trying their best,” such as Falmouth and Waynflete School, Kelly said.
Though the school’s team was highly praised for its performance in the events of the 2014 tournament, the students were disappointed they had not been able to test
their mettle against other local schools, and “the kids really loved it being [a] competition” this year, Kelly said.
One complication during the tournament led to an opportunity for the students to learn about confronting an authority figure.
During the “bottle rocket” event, in which a student-made rocket is launched and scored based on its time aloft, the man placing the MMS rocket on the launch pad
bent a long, rolled-paper stabilizer integral to the rocket’s design, essentially causing it to fail during the launch, Kelly said.
The rules say any issues should first be taken up with a judge orally before any written complaints are made, Kelly said, and the students had to gather the courage
to talk to the judge about fixing the issue and relaunching the rocket.
The judge did give them permission, the design was fixed, and MMS ended up placing first in the event, Kelly said.
Another goof related to scoring almost cost Medomak its championship.
In the “air trajectory” event, in which a device launches a ball via air pressure created by a falling weight, Medomak was the only team to get its ball into the
target bucket, Kelly said.
The students had spent a lot of time practicing with their device, calibrating it and creating graphs for various distances since the target distance is not known
until the team arrives at the tournament, she said.
At the end of the tournament, Waynflete was actually announced as the tournament’s champions, but it was discovered Medomak had been given its score sheet from the
air trajectory event in error and their score from the event was not considered in the final tally, Kelly said.
After the error was corrected, Waynflete was very gracious in accepting its second-place finish, Kelly said.
In the bridge-building event, the team’s simple design of two balsa wood I-beams was the only bridge to hold the full 15 kilograms of weight, Kelly said.
Ben Martin (left) and Nathan Andrick won a gold medal for their bridge, the only one to hold the maximum of 15 kilograms, according to Medomak Middle School Science Olympiad coordinator Madelon Kelly. (Photo courtesy Madelon Kelly) |
With states behind them, the team is now working on not only perfecting new events – their 15 events from the state level expand to 23 for the national competition – but also on
raising about $16,000 to fund a trip to the University of Nebraska for nationals on May 15 and 16.
Kelly plans on the team lodging and eating meals at the university campus during its trip, which is an important way for students to gain exposure to the college
experience, she said.
Donations of Red Sox tickets and a schooner trip have already come in to be raffled off, students are planning a car wash and a dance, and students are also asking
businesses and family members for small sponsorships, Kelly said.
Anyone interested in donating can call the school at 832-5028.
Medomak Middle School went to the national competition both of the last two years. Because of the stiff competition, the school placed 60th (last) its first year but
the team improved two spots to 58th in 2014, Kelly said.
“It’s crazy hard” and the differences between the top finishers in the events are extremely close, Kelly said. Students need to know information way beyond what is
normally required of middle schoolers, she said.
Kelly praised the community and family members who coach and support the school’s Science Olympiad team not only for their efforts during preparation but also at the
competitions.
When the team goes to nationals, Kelly said she feels “nobody comes close to what we have for parents’ support.”
