Science Olympiad Team (9th to 12th grade) – Open to all homeschoolers
Coach: Kathy Martin and Crisi Morris
Open only to MSA diploma students in grades 9 – 12
Credit: none, but participation can help to level up a MSA science class (see your science teacher for details)
Cost: $50 to $60/ year, depending upon whether the team registration fee will be increased for the 2027 competition year. Some events incur additional cost for supplies. Scholarships for team membership will be considered upon request.
Meeting: TBD—team meetings are typically held during lunch or in the late afternoon on Monday or Thursday, usually no more than once per month, from September to the beginning of March (Can’t make it during this time? You can still participate. Contact Mrs. Martin.) In addition, students must meet regularly with event partners to work on their events (once a week or once bi-weekly per event from October through February).
Description:
Science Olympiad is a fun and exciting competition which is open to anyone who is curious about science. Students prepare for and practice their events for months in advance of the actual competition day. Science Olympiad is NOT a science fair! Instead, Science Olympiad is a nationally recognized competition in which a team of up to 15 students work as partners to fill a schedule of 24 events drawn from all the fields of science. Events range from traditional laboratory events (such as Chem Lab or Forensics), to events in which a device is built ahead of time and then tested at the competition (such as parachutes carrying a ping pong ball, electric-powered vehicles, or rubber-band powered airplanes), to paper-and-pencil “study” events (such as astronomy, anatomy & physiology, or rocks & minerals). Each student may participate in as few as one event or as many as five events. Students usually work with a partner but may on occasion work alone. Long before the day of competition, students are assigned to events (based on their preferences) and practice for their events. A brief description of this year’s events can be found on the national website at soinc.org/events/2027-division-c-events.
The Delaware Science Olympiad competition is typically held on the first Saturday in March. Sixty high schools from all over Delaware can compete in the day-long tournament. Medals are awarded to the top ten finishers in each event. The team which finishes first overall advances to the national competition. Because Science Olympiad is nationally known and respected, Science Olympiad looks really good on a student transcript even if no medals are earned!
Prior participation in Science Olympiad or in particular science classes is not necessary. As per national rules, our team members must be enrolled in the Mt. Sophia diploma program and be in grades 9-12. They should be enthusiastic, committed, curious and self-motivated! Although a coach will help students find study materials, answer questions as they arise, and guide students through the process, preparation is student-driven. The student must independently pursue preparing for events in conjunction with a partner. The coach is not teaching the material.
Not sure about Science Olympiad? Check out the information display in the tank, talk to Mrs. Martin or Mrs. Morris, and attend the information meeting. By the end of September, students will fill out applications to be on the team, indicating the events that they’d most like to do. By mid to late October, students will be assigned partners and events. Students are expected to practice with their partner at least twice a month per event in the fall and once a week during winter. Practice can be done at school or elsewhere. Come join the fun!
