Press release from
Buncombe County Schools
Buncombe County Schools Participates in First Elementary School Science Olympiad in WNC (pictured: Emma Mullins and Henry Kopp)
Asheville, NC – April 24, 2013 – Congratulations to the students and coaches who participated in the very first Elementary Science Olympiad teams in Western North Carolina, and the first in Buncombe County Schools. Four BCS teams participated in a competition held April 6 at Owen High School. Teams were organized under the leadership of Kristen Moore, Chemistry teacher from Owen High, with support from the BCS Science Program.
“It was great to see our students so eager and excited to be doing science on a Saturday morning,” said Kay McLeod, BCS Science Curriculum Specialist. “Without Kristen Moore’s dedication to the project, our first Elementary Science Olympiad would not have made it off the launch pad!”
“Our students were highly successful at this month’s tournament,” said Coach Jamie Munn, teacher at W.D. Williams Elementary. “We started with 45 fourth and fifth graders in an after-school club; twenty-nine went on to compete at the Science Olympiad tournament. Seeing these kids shine during the competition was the highlight of my year!”
Koontz Intermediate Coach Evan Guyer agrees. “The kids really had a blast,” he said. “I hope this effort acts as a launch pad for future elementary science club and competition events!”
Carly Penny, North Buncombe Elementary School Coach, says the excitement was palpable. “Our fourth graders were so excited to learn about science through hands-on activities each week. It seemed like I could actually see the gears turning while they thought of better ways to retrieve and record information, create experiments, and redesign their creations.”
Begun in 1974, the North Carolina Science Olympiad is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to attract and develop a pool of students in all grades, kindergarten through high school, entering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers and degree programs. Each year, the organization hosts tournaments on university, community college, and public school campuses across the state. The tournaments are rigorous academic competitions featuring a series of hands-on, interactive, inquiry-based events springing from the disciplines of biology, earth science, environmental science, chemistry, physics, engineering and technology.
For more information, please contact Kay McLeod at 255-5957.
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