Leechburg elementary students ‘pumped’ for first science olympiad
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McKenzie Rollinson enjoys science, even if it isn’t her best subject.
“I’m not really good at science, but I’m pretty decent at it,” McKenzie, 10, said as she participated in the first-ever science olympiad this week at David L. Leech Elementary School in Leechburg.
Students in third through fifth grades combined brain power and mixed together to make 10 teams and tackle 10 20-minute-long science-based challenges throughout the school.
Words such as photosynthesis and sedimentary were thrown around during a game of science-themed “Jeopardy.” Students created music through snap circuits. They even got to share their creative interpretations of key phrases with a game of science Pictionary.
McKenzie said she enjoys science, but sometimes has a little trouble with keeping the different cycles and phrases straight. She said, as of late, the different energy cycles and the names that come with them are giving her the most trouble.
McKenzie, however, had no trouble finding the right answers while she played “Jeopardy.”
“I just love games like that,” she said. “It’s kind of like a guessing game, but kind of not because you don’t always know how hard the questions will be once you reach the different levels.”
McKenzie said she has never had an issue learning in her everyday classes, but the olympiad brought an extra level of excitement to the day.
According to fourth grade science and social studies teacher Kathy Colaianne, the day was possible because of a $2,500 innovation grant from the Society of Analytical Chemists of Pittsburghand the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh to purchase materials. The district was awarded the grant after Colaianne and fellow teacher Katie Bonicky attended the groups’ jointly sponsored Pittcon event in November.
“We got all the materials that we wanted for all these different activities, and we spent months figuring out which event we were gonna have and which materials we were gonna use,” Colaianne said. “(The workshop) was Nov. 17, and we were literally still doing things for this last night.”
Jill Sorisio, a third grade math and science teacher, said she began helping to plan the event after the grant was written.
“We would meet at least once, twice, sometimes three times a week after school to work on it in little bits of it at a time,” Sorisio said.
Colaianne said she hopes the olympiad encourages students to employ creative problem solving. She and Sorisio said teacher support was a game changer when it came to seeing the event in action.
“Every teacher was on board with this,” Colaianne said. “They were willing and pumped up about it. Everybody was all in. I think it was a whole third through fifth grade effort.”
Added Sorisio: “It wouldn’t have been possible without the cooperation, the assistance and support of all of the teachers. They have been so supportive and flexible and have gone above and beyond.”
Winning teams will get to take home certificates for placing in gold, silver or bronze. They also will get bragging rights for the rest of the school year.