A new club has arisen at Goffstown High School. Science Olympiad. Club starters sophomores Keira Schaefer and Emma Bird with their advisor Human Biology teacher Mrs. Annis are happy to share their new addition to GHS. What is Science Olympiad you ask? Well Science Olympiad is a national organization that hosts regional, state and national science-based competitions. There are approximately 23 events at a competition from all different fields of science. Students prepare for events and compete with teams from other schools for medals and other prizes.
More specifically there are study events where students study and take part in a test. Awards are given for highest test scores. Another event type is chem lab and forensics where the students will learn techniques and perform experiments at competitions. There’s also the build where students construct something (robots, small scale bridges, etc.) and they will also be tested at competitions. A team for the competition is up to 15 students “but we are taking 2 small teams of 8-10.” says advisor Mrs. Annis. Mrs. Annis has been a part of Science Olympiad as a coach for around 8 years and has always taken interest in her students eager to participate in any form of extracurricular sciences.
With this club meeting every Thursday during lunch in room 407, they discuss logistics and tips for preparing for events but most of the work is done by individual student teams that are preparing for specific events they will compete in at the competition. When students get to the competition, teams put their hard work to the test against other teams. “It’s really fun! I know it sounds like a lot of work to study for a voluntary test, but the competitions are so much fun,” Mrs. Annis adds, “I have never laughed so hard as I did at these competitions! It’s also a great way to get to know people and build relationships, we really become a family.”
As their first competition is marked in calendars; March 23, 2024, at St. Anslem’s College as the New Hampshire State competition. Mrs. Annis encourages students interested in any type of science to join and hopes that the club will bring attention to the “amazing work the science department is doing and the talented science students we have at GHS.”
