News
April 5, 2008
We salute the efforts and accomplishments of our Science Olympians!While most of us were enjoying the start of spring break, our Science Olympians were hard at work, traveling to eastern Washington to test their mental mettle at the State competition at Eastern Washington University. Along the way, they were able to stop at Washington State University on Friday for lunch at WSU and a presentation from the engineering department prior to heading to Spokane. Saturday, 5 April was a day worthy of pride: In addition to displaying the outstanding sportsmanship we have come to expect from all of our students, our Science Olympians performed admirably at our third state competition. In a competition where simply getting there is a significant feat, some accomplishments of particular note include:
· Astronomy; 5th (Dawn & Ao)
· Boomilever: 5th (Dawn & Ao)
· Cell Biology; 6th (Susan & Rebecca P.)
· Circuit lab: 6th (Drew & Olivia)
· Health Science: 7th (Susan & Rebecca P.)
· Herpetology; 7th (Adam & Daryl)
· Oceanography: 4th (Jim & Marina)
· Physics lab; 3rd (Drew & Zach)
· Remote Sensing: 5th (Dawn & Ao)
· Robot Ramble; 2nd & 6th (Stephanie & Anthony; Zach & Dawn)
· Wright Stuff: 6th (Ryan & Alex)
· Geocaching; 2nd (Miranda & Elizabeth)
· Junkyard Challenge: 4th (Kathryn & Matt)
Our teams placed 8th and 14th overall (up from 14th & 20th last year!) and are already looking forward to next year (when, if current trends continue, we expect to place 2nd & 8th!). Our seniors are leaving behind some big shoes to fill; we'll start recruiting for next year's team later this spring. Talk to one of our team members if you're interested!
Our teams could not have done it without the help and support of our parents and our community; we thank you all! In particular, we thank Ms. Gilman, Mr. & Mrs. Hiranaka, Mrs. Johnston, Ms. LeFevre, Mr. & Mrs. Malchodi, Mrs. May, Mrs. Mitalis, Dr. Murrill, Mr. & Mrs. Sita, Mrs. Stark, Ms. Weeks, and Mrs. Woltkamp, We appreciate your support!
March 8, 2008
On Saturday, 42 of AHS's finest travelled to Everett Community College for the 2008 NW Regional Science Olympiad. According to advisor, Mr. McComb, it was a day of good fun, good learning, and good sportsmanship! Two dozen teams of up to 15 students from schools around the region competed in 23 different events, ranging from stars to rocks to remote sensing, from ecology to food science to cells, from electric vehicles to rubber-band powered planes to homemade instruments.
Like they always do, our Science Olympians captured the spotlight, with our most veteran team (Smashing Black Cupcakes) placing fourth (our highest finish ever at Regionals, just behind experienced powerhouses Bothell, Stanwood, and Lakeside), while our second team (Red) placed eighth, and our newest team (Yellow) placed 14th, a strong showing on their first try out.
Some notable finishes include: 3rd place: Boomilever, Circuit Lab, Electric Vehicle, Forensics, Oceanography, Robot Ramble, Sounds of Music, Wright Stuff 4th place: Ecology, Experimental Design, Fermi Questions, Health Science 5th place: Experimental Design 6th place: Boomilever, Disease Detectives, Ecology, Herpetology, Physics Lab, Sounds of Music In addition to their fine work in the event standings, our Science Olympians displayed remarkable sportsmanship, integrity, and patience.
Both the Red and Black teams earned berths to State competition on April 4-5. We salute all of our Olympians for their perseverance and dedication! Mr. McComb tells me that there is much work to be done between now and then, but his latest fortune cookie read, "You will be a winner!" Seems like it is becoming tradition to have a celebratory dinner after competition in honor of the team's accomplishments and Mr. McComb's birthday! Someone reported that the latest birthday brings Mr. McComb to age 97?! Not bad, Sir! This makes the team's accomplishments even more significant!
Detailed Everett Reigonal Results
March 1, 2008
After a long and exciting day in Vancouver, WA, AHS again walked away with top honors from the Pacific Northwest Regional Science Decathlon competition. Competing in ten different content and engineering events, AHS Science Decathletes proved their mental mettle and engineering prowess, and demonstrated their outstanding sportsmanship again. From ultralight rubber-band powered airplanes to super efficient towers to water-powered rockets and line-following robots, our prospective engineers tested their designs against teams from around the region. From map reading to marine biology to experimental design, our prospective scientists showed off their knowledge.
All of our teams have been invited to Nationals at the University of North Carolina in May! Stay tuned for exciting opportunities to support our teams on their way to Nationals: today the Pacific Northwest, tomorrow the nation! The Phoenix (and Pegacorns and Squirtles and A & W's ) are coming! A special and heartfelt thanks to our parent drivers, Mr. & Mrs. Sanders, Mrs. Malchodi, Mr. Keehnel, who made the trip possible. An anonymous donor (and some of our drivers!) sponsored our team dinner, making a great end to a practically perfect day. We are grateful for the continued support you give our teams! Three teams of AHS's Science Olympians will travel to Everett this weekend to participate in the Pacific Northwest Regional competition. Twenty-four teams from around the region will compete for a handful of slots to test their knowledge at State Competition. We wish them good luck--and good thinking, good engineering, good sportsmanship, and all the other good things that make AHS's students great.
February 9th, 2008
On Saturday, Feb 9, our Science Olympians did us proud! Our three teams placed 4th, 5th and 10th in a field that included three past state champions. Notable finishes included: 1st in Astronomy, Forensics, and Circuit Lab; 2nd in Wright Stuff; 3rd in Cell Biology, Herpetology, and Oceanography; 1st in Herpetology and Robot Ramble; 2nd place in Experimental Design and Fermi Questions; 3rd in Write It/Do It; 3rd in Boomilever. Equally impressive was the sportsmanship our Science Olympians displayed, and the warm welcome they showed our guests. Once again they modeled Phoenix pride!
Special thanks to our parent and staff volunteers: Mrs. Johnston, Mrs. Davies, Mrs. Woltkamp, Mrs. Barnes, Mr. & Mrs. Sanders, Mr. & Mrs. Gustafson, Mr. & Mrs. Keehnel, Mrs. Will, Ms. Murril, Mr. Pfeifer, Mrs. Hiranaka, Dr. Edgerton, Mr. Gudor, Mr. Joshi, Mrs. Weeks, Mr. Shiroma, Mr. Steele, Ms. Hegeberg, Mr. Delano, and Ms. Ong.
January 29, 2008
Preparation for the Science Olympiad Invitational at Aviation High School is in full swing. Eleven teams from across the state have registered for the competition, and we are excited to host them. Click here for more info.
Not only can you buy a 'Talk to Me Nerdy' wristband, but you can also get your own 'Talk to Me Nerdy' T-shirt. There are eleven different pre-made designs, and for an added charge you can create your own! Check it out on the Fundraising page.
January 19, 2008
On Saturday, 35 of AHS's finest traveled to Chimacum, WA to compete in the season's first invitational. In a field that includes three past state champions and teams established since the 1990's, they came in a close 5th (and 9th and 13th). More importantly, they know what they need to work on for February 9 (AHS Invitational), March 8 (Regional's), and April 4 (State) in order for us to carry the salmon to Washington DC this spring.
Click Here for Results!
Some notable finishes: In Astronomy, Dawn & Ao placed 1st; Stephanie placed 5th. In Boomilever, Dawn placed 4th; Kevin placed 6th. In Cell Biology, Susan & Rebecca placed 3rd. In Disease Detectives and in Health Science, they placed 2nd. In Ecology, Adam and Tom placed 4th. Jordan, Marina and Thomas placed 4th in Experimental Design. Tom and Olivia placed 4th in Fermi Questions. In Five Star Science, Stanley and Ted placed 4th. Ao & Daryl placed 3rd in Food Science. Jim and Marina placed 2nd in Oceanography, while Tom and Olivia placed 5th. Stephanie and Anthony placed 3rd in Physics. Marina and Colby placed 4th in Sounds of Music, while Drew and Ryan placed 5th, and Marina placed 8th. Ryan and Alex placed 2nd in Wright stuff. In Robot Ramble, we took 5th (Zach & Alex), 6th (Ryan & Kevin), & 7th (Stephanie & Anthony). Our Science Olympiad teams are on outstanding group of students who do us all proud.
Many accolades to our Science Olympians, and many thanks to the chaperones who made it possible: Mr. & Mrs. Johnston, Mr. Hoag, Mr. Sanders, Ms. Weeks, Mr. Pham, Mr. Ryan, Mrs. Woltkamp, Mr. Pfeifer, Ms. Ogadjanian, & Ms. Minasova!
Next invitational coming up at Aviation High School on Saturday, February 9! Very exciting!!!
January 12, 2008
Aviation High School Decathlon teams swept the field at the Washington State Tournament at Canyon Park! Competing in teams of up to six people in ten science and engineering events, our three teams took the top three places.
Team AW (Kevin, Thomas M, Ryan S, Patrick) took third place overall and earned individual medals in Scientific Method, Beakers (ornithology), robot, and water rockets.
The Squirtle Squad (Rebecca L, Anthony, Franco, Miranda, Ted) took second place overall and earned individual medals in Thirteen Test Tubes, Four 'n Six (forensics), and water rockets.
The indomitable Golden Pegacorns (Drew, Shelby, Ao, Dawn, Stanley, Nicole) placed first and earned individual medals in Marine Biology, Thirteen Test Tubes, Beakers, Geo-Trekking, forensics, Tower Building, robotics, and water rockets.
In addition to their outstanding performance, our decathletes also displayed superb sportsmanship to fellow competitors, coaches and event organizers. Their achievements and capable ambassadorship insipire Phoenix Pride.
We gratefully acknowledge the help of Mr. Sanders, Mr. Sita and Mr. Gustafson for their help making the trip possible!
September 10, 2007
It is a new school year, and AHS has a new and improved Science Olympiad team. This year we will be having three teams that will be competing in a couple of new events, and many events with new rules. Science Olympiad will meet in Mr. McComb's room every day during 0 hour.
