Manchester joins the Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympiad Program
Friday night, Klager Elementary held an informational meeting for parents of 3rd-5th graders who may be interested in a new Science Olympiad program. Manchester Schools is one of the seven new districts who have joined the Washtenaw Elementary Science Olympiad (WESO) program this year.
Lynn Miller is the head coach for Manchester. Lynn indicated that she was interested in the Science Olympiad when a friend's son participated a few years ago. She contacted WESO, but they were operating at full capacity and unable to accept new schools. This year, they have added a second tournament in order to accommodate new schools. WESO contacted Lynn several months ago to see if Manchester was still interested in the program. Lynn met with Sue Blackburn from WESO and the program will now begin in Manchester!
Interested parents and students learn about the program at the informational meeting.
According to the WESO website, the Science Olympiad and WESO are 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 achieved through participation in Science Olympiad tournaments and in-school and after-school activities.
To achieve these goals, Manchester will be participating in six of the eight possible events during the Science Olympiad tournament on May 31st on the University of Michigan’s campus, as well as having after-school practice sessions one to two times per month. Each team’s practice time and frequency will be different depending on the team and the coach’s availability.
Interested parents speak with Ruth VanVogelen about the Estimania event.
The six teams are:
Disease Detectives (coach: Jill Noble): Students will be tested on various aspects of public health problems, including disease, risk, spread and prevention.
Estimania (coach: Ruth VanVogelen): Teams will be asked to estimate answers to questions of measurement or numerical approximation.
Map Reading (coach: Sara Scheil): Using various kinds of maps, students will test their map reading skills to answer geographic questions.
Mystery Architecture (coach: Eric VanVogelen): Each team will be given a bag of materials (such as paper, tape, styrofoam, and paper clips) to build a structure that can support a tennis ball. The tallest structure wins.
On Target (coach: Buzz Nau): Each team will build missiles, utilizing a precision straw as the missile body (all materials being provided by WESO). The accuracy of the missiles launched indoors at a fixed target will be tested.
Pentathlon (coach: Lynn Miller): Five physical skills are combined with science questions in an obstacle course relay race.
It should be clear that the entire team will not participate in the Olympiad in May. Each event has a limit on participants, usually 1-2 with the exception of the Pentathlon, which could be up to five participants. “It doesn’t matter if you go to the tournament, you’re still on the team”, says Lynn Miller, Head Coach for Manchester students. When hearing this at the meeting Friday, an interested parent, Sandra Wiitala, summarized the after-school practices as “more like a fun science club activity” to which Lynn Miller agreed.
It is not known at this time how the students will be chosen to participate in the tournament. What is known is that it will not be based on ability or any kind of testing. It will be randomly drawn or based on attendance or some other characteristic. The teams will be informed when a decision is made.
Interested parents and students learn about the program at the informational meeting.
As part of the program, students have an exciting opportunity to be a part of Klager’s Math & Science Night on March 21st from 6-8pm. Each team will have their own room to exhibit their skills and garner some interest for the program next year. Be sure to stop by each room that evening to encourage our youth in this wonderful new adventure.
Lynn is very excited about the opportunity to start this program. "We are still in the recruitment phase. All the coaches are so excited to spend time with kids and try new things. Please sign up the kids. I would hate to see this opportunity disappear. You only get one chance to be in at the beginning!"
There is no cost for the students to participate in the program. Mrs. Mayes, Klager Principal, has volunteered school funds to pay for the $175 registration fee for the tournament.
For more information regarding Manchester’s participation, or to join, contact Lynn Miller at 734-428-0260 or lynnmill@umich.edu. For more information regarding WESO, please visit their website at http://www.aaps.k12.mi.us/wesowizards.home/home.
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