Rustin Science Olympiad Places 14th Nationally

The following is a press relase from the .

At the National Science Olympiad Competition held in Florida, placed 14th overall competing against schools from across the nation. The team was honored with the Spirit Award, sponsored by Lockheed Martin, and presented to one high school team each year in recognition of the team's positive attitude, exemplification of teamwork, respect for rules and fellow competitors, and sportsmanlike conduct. The $2,000 received from this award will further the Bayard Rustin Science Olympiad program.    

First place was received by Jan Scharsig and Elki Spino in “Gravity Vehicle." In addition to being recognized as first in this event, each of them will receive a $30,000 scholarship to the University of Central Florida should they choose to attend, and a $1,500 scholarship to the college of their choice.  Fifth place was received by Joe Hayes and Courtney Eason in “Optics,” and Ben Litwack and Paul Hager in “Technical Problem Solving.” Sixth place was awarded to Julia Verbiar and Ben Litwack for their entry in “Write It Do It.” In total, $65,000 in scholarship money was received by team members to further their education.

The Bayard Rustin High School Science Olympiad team was one of two high schools to represent the state of Pennsylvania at the Science Olympiad National Tournament. A first for Rustin High School, the team achieved this honor by placing second at the Science Olympiad State Final Competition behind Harriton High School of Montgomery County. Competing against more than 1,000 students from across Pennsylvania, the Rustin team placed first in both the helicopter and forestry categories at the state level. Their helicopter design remained airborne one-and-a-half minutes; thirty seconds longer than the second place model. It has been sixteen years since a WCASD school competed at the national level.

Science Olympiad, which began 28 years ago by a group of science teachers, is now one of the most prestigious science competitions in the nation, providing rigorous challenges to nearly 6,400 teams in the nation.  The competitions consist of a series of 23 team events reflecting genetics, earth science, chemistry, anatomy, physics, geology, mechanical engineering, and technology. Emphasis is placed on hands-on group participation.

Coached by physics teacher Jaime Suarez and assistant coaches Greg Byrd, Shanon Genovese, Dr. Steve Good, Joe Hayes, Judy Jones, and Nicole Zimmerman, team members are Jacob Bissinger, Alan Cohn, Matt Cowan, Courtney Eason, Rich Giduck, Annie Haftl, Paul Hager, Joe Hayes, Dylan Kozicki, James Lack, Chris Laplante, Jennica Leclerc, Ben Litwack, Helen Liu, Renzo Mancini, Doug McCaskey, Adam McLean, Alaina Noronha, Jan Scharsig, Sean Scharsig, Elki Spino, Paul Tomkiewicz, Julia Verbiar, and Lauren Zabilowicz.