Area schools gather on campus for Science Olympiad Regional Tournament on Feb. 11

GOSHEN, Ind. – Science Olympiad teams from 10 area schools will gather on the Goshen College campus on Saturday, Feb. 11 to compete in over 30 events, ranging from astronomy to food science to rocks, for the annual Science Olympiad Regional Tournament.

Modeled after the Olympic games, participating schools field teams of 15 students, who prepare to compete in a variety of science events at the regional and state competitions. Nearly all of the events are hands-on, making them more meaningful and fun for the students. Volunteers, many of which are Goshen College science students and faculty/staff, will oversee and judge the events.

With approximately 180 students participating, two middle school teams and one high school team will advance to the state tournament. A wild card tournament for teams who almost qualified for the state tournament will be held on Saturday, March 10 at Ivy Tech Community College in Lafayette to fill any remaining spots at the state tournament. This year's state competition will be held at Indiana University Bloomington on Saturday, March 24. The national tournament will be held May 18-19 at the University of Central Florida, in Orlando, Fla.

The day will begin with registration, at 7:30 a.m., and a welcome ceremony, at 8:30 a.m., both in the Church-Chapel. The participants will then proceed to compete in various events throughout campus. An awards ceremony at 3:15 p.m. in the Church-Chapel will conclude the day. The Science Olympiad opening and awards ceremonies are open to the community, but some competitions are closed to observers. The competitions will take place in Goshen College's Music Center, Administration Building, Union Building, Wyse Hall and Science Building.

The teams in Division B (grades six to nine) will come from the following schools: Bethany Christian Schools, Imagine MASTer Academy, Manchester Junior/Senior High School, Northridge Middle School, South Bend Career Academy, St. Pius X, Catholic School and The Stanley Clark School. Teams in Division C (grades nine to 12) will come from the following schools: Bethany Christian Schools, John Adams High School, LaPorte High School, Manchester Junior/Senior High School and Mishawaka High School.

The Science Olympiad began in 1983 and involves more than 12,000 schools nationally. For more information and a schedule of the day's events, contact Professor of Mathematics David Housman at (574) 535-7405 or visit www.goshen.edu/bio/SciOlymp.

The Goshen College Indiana Science Olympiad is supported by Bayer Healthcare LLC.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College Acting News Bureau Coordinator Alysha Bergey Landis at (574) 535-7762 or alyshabl@goshen.edu.

### 

Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.