(Photo Courtesy: Kelli Gile)
Walnut HS took 2nd Place at the L.A. County Science Olympiad on Feb. 28 (shown with teacher and advisor, Tony Goossens).

By Kelli Gile

Walnut – Walnut Valley schools continued their record of exemplary performance during the L.A. County Science Olympiad, held at Occidental College on Feb. 28. There were 140 elementary and secondary schools that participated in the all-day science event.

Walnut High scored 2^nd Place, and Diamond Bar High earned 3^rd Place award out of 40 participating high school teams.

“These students worked very hard with a dedication that went far beyond expectations,” said Tony Goossens, teacher advisor for the WHS team. “They really represent some of the best minds in the State.”

40 teams competed in the middle school division. Suzanne took 3^rd Place, Chaparral 4^th Place, and South Point 5^th Place.

“What made this year’s 3^rd Place win even more special was that it was truly a team effort,” said Suzanne science teacher advisor, Susan Warren. “Every member of this amazing team brought home an individual medal for at least one of the 23 events.”

These five middle and high school teams will now advance to the state competition on April 4 at Canyon High School in Anaheim.

Several elementary schools competed among 60 teams in the Division A tournament, many for the first time. Westhoff won the coveted Gold Medal. Quail Summit, Vejar, Castle Rock, and Evergreen brought home Silver medals. Elementary teams do not compete at the state level.

Most students worked in teams of two to prepare for the 23 events in the categories of Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, Physics, Technology, Engineering, and Inquiry.

Only 15 members were allowed to compete per school, therefore most students prepared for three or more events.  Some teams focused on anatomy, meteorology, fossils, the solar system and entomology. Some teams designed and built elastic launch gliders, bottle rockets, air trajectory devices, robots, bridges and wheeled vehicles.  There were events that required hands-on lab skills, such as “Bio-Process Lab,” “Can’t Judge a Powder,” “Crime Busters,” and “Experimental Design.

For the engineering events, students made machines that flew in the air, shot balls, dropped weights from a height, and performed energy transfers.

Competitors built a tiny bridge strong enough to support a huge weight of sand, and a vehicle that drove an egg as close to a wall as possible without breaking the egg.

“They did a fantastic job and are ready to take on their next big hurdle, the State Championship!  We are truly proud of what they have accomplished and the amount of time and hard work they put forth for their events,” said South Pointe science teacher and advisor, Crystal Dira.

Science Olympiad teams are championed by families who devote their time and resources in support of students.

“I think the kids did a fantastic job.  They learned while having fun.  It was great!” said Quail Summit parent, Suzanne Zhang.

“I am so proud of this group of talented young scientists who were willing to take risks and pursue advanced studies. They will be competing for their personal best at the upcoming state competition,” Warren added.