More than two dozen students from the Seaford School District will have an opportunity to explore their curiosities about the world at upcoming Science Olympiad competitions.
The Seaford High School team will take part in the regional competition on Feb. 2 at Division Avenue High School. Led by science teacher Mary Simons, students will take part in more than 20 events.
Junior Jason Linzer signed up for three events, including Chemistry Lab in which he will perform experiments with acids and bases and make calculations. Sophomore Ryan McClernon is looking forward to Herpetology which is a study of reptiles and amphibians, while ninth-grader Gabriela Cangialosi is excited about analyzing evidence in the forensics event.
Several competitions involve building devices ahead of time. Senior Britney Sirota is constructing a mouse-trap powered vehicle and a Rube Goldberg machine.
“I like seeing how different people view the same challenge,” Britney said. “Everyone has the same objective but does it in a different way.”
Jason added that his favorite part about Science Olympiad is being able to select events that meet his interests. The students have been preparing for the competition since November, meeting weekly after school and also working at home.
The middle school level competition follows on Feb. 9. About a dozen students from Seaford Middle School’s Science Olympiad team will convene with their peers from across Nassau County at Wisdom Lane Middle School. The students are participating in 26 events which cover a variety of scientific concepts including astronomy, chemistry, density, electricity heredity, physiology and thermodynamics.
Under the leadership of science teacher Roseann Zeblisky, students have been meeting every week to prepare for the competition.
“It’s a great bonding experience and you get to meet other people who are interest in science,” said eighth-grader Kailly Nocera, who will participate in three events including one in which she will have to build an electrical circuit.
The team includes several sixth-graders, who said they are excited for the opportunity to pursue their interest in science. Several signed up for events because of personal connections. Dylan Malone chose Anatomy and Physiology since his father works as an emergency medical technician. Sean Rodgers will participate in the Mystery Architecture event, which requires building a structure from certain materials, because his father is an architect.
“The event is perfect for me,” Sean said.
Photo Captions:
1: Seaford Middle School science teacher Roseann Zeblisky helped her Science Olympiad students prepare for their Feb. 9 events during a recent afterschool meeting.
2: Seaford High School Science Olympiad members, from left, Britney Sirota, Jason Linzer, Ryan McClernon and Gabriela Cangialosi are getting ready for the Feb. 2 regional competition.
Photos courtesy of the Seaford School District
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