Liberty Elementary

The Science Olympiad is an international nonprofit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers. These goals are accomplished through classroom activities, research, training workshops and the encouragement of intramural, district, regional, state and national competitions. The Science Olympiad tournaments are rigorous academic interscholastic competitions that consist of a series of individual and team events which students prepare for during the year. The competitions follow the format of popular board games, TV shows and athletic games. These challenging and motivational events are well balanced between the various science disciplines of biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, computers and technology. There is also a balance between events requiring knowledge of science facts, concepts, processes, skills and science applications.

The Science Olympiad was created in 1983 by Dr. Gerard J Putz with the help of Jack Cairns to increase interest in science and as an alternative to traditional science fairs and single-discipline tournaments. After successful trial Olympiads were held in their respective states of Michigan and Delaware, the Science Olympiad began to grow. Fourteen years later, the Olympiad has members in all 50 states and Canada, totaling more than 13,500 actively participating K-12 schools, and the program continues to grow!

Each secondary team of up to 15 students will prepare throughout the school year to compete in Science Olympiad tournaments held on local, state and national levels. These inter-scholastic competitions consist of a series of, at the most, 32 individual and team events. The "A" division is K-6 schools, the "B" division is 6-9 grade schools, and the "C" division is 9-12 grade schools. A maximum of five ninth grade and seven twelfth grade students on a team is permitted. Middle schools may invite five of their last year's eighth grade students to be part of the team. There will be no national or NorCal state tournament for Division A schools. 

Events in the Science Olympiad have been designed to recognize the wide variety of skills that students possess. While some events require knowledge of scientific facts and concepts, others rely on science processes, skills or applications. This ensures that everyone can participate, including students from technology classes or advanced science classes.

Although some events in the Science Olympiad are based on individual achievement, all events involve teamwork, group planning and cooperation. That is the real essence of the Science Olympiad. Our emphasis is on advanced learning in science through active, hands-on, group participation. Through the Olympiad, students, teachers, coaches, principals, business leaders and parents are all bonded together as a team working toward a goal. 

We would like to provide an alternative to the "isolated scientist" stereotype and remind students that science can be fun, exciting and challenging all at the same time. In college and beyond, students will find the that the team spirit and good sportsmanship they developed during Science Olympiad will be deciding factors in their success.

The Science Olympiad is devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers. We hope to achieve these goals through participation in Science Olympiad tournaments, classroom activities and summer training institutes for teachers. We also hope that our efforts can bring academic competition to the same level of recognition and praise normally reserved for athletic competitions in this country.