Science Olympiad placed 12th out of the 30 teams in the State Science Olympiad competition on April 2 at Wichita State.

Out of the 25 events, the team placed top 10 in the following: Cell Biology, Forensics, Green Generation, Hydrogeology and Invasive Species.

Since two people contribute to each event, approximately 10 students won these places. Overall, the team took 15 students to the competition.

The team, led by Don Meier, science teacher, left at 4 p.m. and spent the night in Wichita. They competed the next day.

Qualification for state came from a sixth place win during the regionals competition.

Science Olympiad is a yearly competition-based outside activity run by Meier. There are usually 25 events, each based around a different topic.

The events can be divided up into two categories: building and knowledge. Examples from the 2016 year are Anatomy, Electric Vehicle, Disease Detectives and Chemistry Lab.

Competitions take place on Saturdays throughout the year. Practice is also on Saturdays, though it is up to participants whether they come or not.

Some events allow the contestant to bring notes into the event; others require that said person spend outside time building (Protein Modeling, It’s about Time etc.).

Competitions can be rewarding; if the team does well at regionals, then they get the opportunity to travel to state.

Anyone interested in science should consider stopping by Meier’s room next school year and ask about joining Science Olympiad.