Barrington's Science Olympiad Team Eyes National Championship

“We’re wicked excited,” said Amy Nicodemus, science teacher and co-coach, as Barrington High School’s winning Science Olympiad team prepares to compete in the national competition.

The 15 team members and alternates competed in the state competition this past Saturday at Rhode Island College and finished in first place.  Now it’s on to the University of Wisconsin in Madison for the national meet on May 21.

But first, the students are hosting a pancake dinner and bingo competition today at 5:30 pm in the cafeteria to raise funds for the trip. The fee is $5 at the door; babies and toddlers can eat free.

 “There are 60 teams throughout the country competing,” said Jeff Levesque, co-coach and science teacher. 

This is the second year in a row that Barrington High has won the state competition.  As they head off to Wisconsin, Levesque says, “This year we’re more prepared to compete.”

 So what is the Science Olympiad?  According to Rhode Island College’s website:

 “The Science Olympiad is a national program that was created to increase interest in science. It has members in all 50 states with more than 12,000 actively participating K-12 schools. The Science Olympiad aims to teach science by involving students in active, hands-on activities that emphasize problem solving and the scientific process. In state and national competitions, winners of individual events win athletic-style medals, with winning teams earning trophies. At the national level, there are substantial scholarships awarded to top winners.”

 Team members and alternates are: Rahul Chander, Timothy Connor, Amy Entin (alternate), Holly Gildea, Renato Guerrieri, Olivia Justynski, Pierre Karashchuk (alternate), Nathaniel Klimpert (alternate), Nell Klimpert, William Klimpert (alternate), Makenna Kobrin (alternate), Stephen Lamontagne, Jack Liang, Dave Modica, Kassidy O’Donnell, Fiona Paine, Tristan Paine, Utkarsh Shah, Janice Tam, Haley Theroux (alternate), and Lauren Thompson.

 Science Olympiad High School Team Winners for 2011:

GOLD MEDALS:

• Astronomy – Dave Modica and Tim Connor
• Chemistry Lab – Steve Lamontagne and Fiona Paine
• Mission Possible – Steve Lamontagne, Dave Modica and Olivia          Justynski    
• Remote Sensing – Utkarsh Shah and Nell Klimpert

 SILVER MEDALS:

• Forensics – Holly Gildea and Renato Guerrieri
•  Technical Problem Solving – Renato Guerrieri and Fiona Paine
•  Towers – Utkarsh Shah and Kassidy O’Donnell

 BRONZE MEDALS:

• Helicopters – Kassidy O’Donnell and Tristan Paine
• Mousetrap Vehicle – Tim Connor and Tristan Paine
• Wind Power – Janice Tam and Jack Liang
• Write It, Do It – Janice Tam, Holly Gildea and Nell Klimpert
• Disaster Downstream  - Makenna Kobrin and Pierre Karashchuk