Yankton teams win South Dakota Science Olympiad Tourney at USD

It’s the 28^th straight year that Yankton Middle School received first place in the middle school division (Division B) while Yankton High School achieved a first place finish in the high school division (Division C) for the 24^th  consecutive year and 26^th time overall. Both teams now have an opportunity to compete at the National Science Olympiad Tournament at the University of Central Florida, May 18-19, in Orlando.

Coached by Cheryl Schaeffer, Brooks Schild and Tom Merrill, Yankton Middle School was first in Division B while Sacred Heart Middle School (Yankton, S.D.), coached by Marcia Olnes and Rebecca Peterson, was second. Yankton High School, coached by Angie Hejl, Robert Medeck and Sue Adam was first in Division C followed by Brookings High School, coached by Kelly Riedell.

Hundreds of middle school and high school students from across the state competed in several science events during the competition on the USD campus. All events for the Science Olympiad are determined at the national level. For the state tournament, faculty, staff and students from USD organized and served as judges for the events.

South Dakota schools participating in the 2012 Science Olympiad included (Division B):  first place – Yankton Middle, second – Sacred Heart Middle, third – Vermillion Middle, fourth – Spearfish Middle, fifth – Mickelson Middle, sixth – Madison Middle, seventh – Deuel Middle, eighth – Missouri Valley Christian Academy, ninth – Dakota Valley Middle, 10^th – Gayville-Volin Middle. High School Division: first – Yankton High, second – Brookings High, third – Spearfish High, fourth – Great Plains Lutheran High, fifth – Dakota Valley High, sixth – Tri-Valley High, seventh – Todd County High, eighth – Mitchell High, ninth – Madison High, 10^th – Deuel High, 11^th – Gayville-Volin High.

For more information about South Dakota Science Olympiad, please visit http://orgs.usd.edu/~sdscioly/ or contact Clark Bennett, state director, at Clark.Bennett@usd.edu or (605) 677-5248.

About Science Olympiad

Science Olympiad is an international non-profit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science, and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers.  Science Olympiad tournaments are rigorous academic interscholastic competitions that consist of a series of individual and team events, which students prepare for during the year.  The competitions follow the format of popular board games, TV shows and athletic games. These challenging and motivational events are well balanced between the various science disciplines of biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computers, and technology.  There is also a balance between events requiring knowledge of science facts, concepts, processes, skills, and science applications.

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