Student teams from three LCPS middle schools competed in the State Science Olympiad this past weekend at New Mexico Tech with the team from Sierra Middle School finishing first among all public schools competing and third overall, said Ligia Ford, program coordinator for SEMAA-STEM Outreach at New Mexico State University.
Sierra students collected 37 medals for their placement in events among the 25 middle schools competing from around New Mexico, said Ford. The Sierra team, coached by Melly Locke and Gretchen Ricketts, finished third behind the Albuquerque Area Home Schoolers and Albuquerque Academy teams.
The Picacho Middle School team, coached by Melody Hagaman, “did an excellent job for their first time at this competition and received 10 medals for their events,” said Ford. The Vista Middle School team, coached by Louie Vergeer, won six medals, she said.
For the competition, teams of students “worked to decipher crime scenes, power mousetrap vehicles and aim trebuchets,” and also participated in many other events, said Ford.
Two years ago, the NMSU College of Education’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Outreach Center “recognized the impact that the Science Olympiad was having on many students across the state and wanted LCPS students to have the same experience,” said Ford. “The center sought out teachers who had solid backgrounds in STEM content and were willing to learn with their students to coach Science Olympiad teams,” she said.
“The teachers are the driving force of the program and do a superb job of guiding the students,” said Dr. Susan Brown, director of the STEM Outreach Center.
The center hosts a sample of an invitational Science Olympiad called the Science Brain Battle, and participating students then attend the regional Science Olympiad at Western New Mexico University in Silver City. Sierra won this year’s regional. Vista and Picacho also placed in the top 10. The project is supported by NMSU, the Doña Ana County Spaceport Gross Receipts Tax program and LCPS.
For more information, contact Ford at 575.646.7524 or ligios@ad.nmsu.edu.