They Make it Fly, They Make it Roll, They Make it Balance
James Rada, Jr.
Walk into the science classrooms at Thurmont Middle School on Wednesdays after school and prepare to be amazed. Alyssa Malasky (6th grade) and Joey Risser (6th grade) built a rocket nearly as tall as they are that is powered by water. Mikaila Risser (8th grade) builds simple machines and tests what they can do. Anthony Southmuye (8th grade) and Silas Nickerson (8th grade) test their rubber-band-powered car.
Out in the hallway, Kallan Lathan (7th grade), Kariana Strickhouser (7th grade), and Sophia DeGennaro (6th grade) have built two devices designed to use air pressure to launch ping-pong balls at precise distances.
Down in the gymnasium, Isaac Dodson (6th grade) tests his balsa-wood airplanes to see which design stays in the air the longest.
These students are all members of Thurmont Middle School’s Science Olympiad Team. The seventeen students pair off in small teams to train in some of the twenty-three Science Olympiad events. Each student competes in three or four events, and the team as a whole has a team to compete in each event.
“Science Olympiad is a hands-on K-12 program to teach students STEM—science, technology, engineering, and math,” said Jilicia Johnson, one of the team’s advisors and a Thurmont Middle School science teacher.
“They get to experience science outside of classroom, and some of them go beyond what they are learning in the classroom.”
Johnson is assisted by fellow teacher, Susan Mize; Jesse Rose, a retired engineer; and Melissa Carter, a Fort Detrick scientist.
Mikaila said she joined the team last year because, “You get to go more in-depth with science and things.”
Her younger brother, Joey, is also a member of the team.
“He wanted to join mostly because I convinced him that it was fun,” Mikaila said.
She and Joey even compete together in an event called Write It, Do It. One team member goes into a room and writes instructions for building what he or she sees. The instructions are then given to the other team member to see if he or she can follow directions to build the original device.
Another event is a lot like participating in an episode of CSI. Sydney Hafler (7th grade) competes in Crime Busters. In this event, she is given a crime scenario, along with evidence that is a combination of liquids, powders, and fibers. She then has to test the materials to identify them and use them to determine who committed the crime.
“For instance, if a powder at the crime is baking powder, then the person is probably a cook rather than a drywaller,” Hafler said.
The team placed fifth out of seventeen teams at the Frederick Invitational in February. The school also placed in fifteen of the twenty-three events. Regionals are held at the University of Maryland in late March; if the team qualifies, it will go on to the state competition at Johns Hopkins University.
“Thurmont Middle School had a team that won the states in 2008, and went on to compete in the nationals at George Washington University,” Johnson said.
Although the students love the thrill of the competition, they are also enjoying the journey to get ready for competition as they test designs and ideas, evaluate what happens, and adjust their designs and ideas and search of the winning entry.
Thurmont Middle School’s Science Olympiad Team members, Alyssa Malasky and Joey Risser, build a rocket that is powered by water.
Photo by James Rada, Jr.
Thurmont Middle School’s Science Olympiad Team members, Alyssa Malasky and Joey Risser, build a rocket that is powered by water.
Photo by James Rada, Jr.