Bessemer science students succeed after delayed arrival

MARQUETTE - After some technical difficulties, science students recently represented A.D. Johnston High School in the Region 1 Science Olympiad.

Normally students from A.D. Johnston High School arrive at the Seaborg Center at Northern Michigan University at 8 a.m. every February for the annual Region 1 Science Olympiad Tournament.  

Coach Tracy Rowe said arriving early gives them time to impound their pre-build devices, find their rooms, and get mentally prepared for the first events, which begin at 9 am.  

But, this year, a bus malfunction halfway to Bergland forced the team to pull over and wait for a different bus.

In spite of arriving at NMU an hour later than normal and rushing off to their first events, both the high school and middle school teams were "very successful at the tournament last Saturday," Rowe said.

At the U.P. Region 1 tournament, Rowe said 12 teams competed this year and the Bessemer High School team took third place and the middle school team took second.

"A few students arrived late to their first problems, but the supervisors, overall, were very accommodating," said coach Dave Rowe.  

Science Olympiad consists of 23 events in both the middle school and the high school.  Groups of two students (except for Experimental Design, which has three students) compete by answering test questions, completing labs, writing computer programs and testing pre-build devices.  

Science Olympiad covers several subjects, including earth science, chemistry, anatomy, physics, geology, mechanical engineering, technology and mathematics, exposing students to various disciplines.  

Connor Fingeroos, a seventh grader, said, "My favorite event was Mission Possible, a Rube Goldberg device in which one action triggers another action, because of all of the hours of working on it was worth it when you see it all come together and run well."

Aili said her favorite problem was Wright Stuff, because her partner and her built a plane using balsa wood and it flew for one-minute and eight seconds.

"It was insanely awesome and we took first place. We made a last-minute change to the plane by rearranging a small piece of clay to balance the plane better and this adjustment paid off," she said.

Although both teams qualified for the State Science Olympiad Tournament in Lansing, the team has opted not to attend this year because of conflicts with other school activities and the financial burden of going so far.

"The community has been very supportive of Science Olympiad in the past, but we don't want to to ask for financial support every year. Additionally, with the exception of this year's seventh graders, most of the team has made a previous trip to Lansing with us already," said David Rowe.

After the competition, sophomore Isaiah Aili said, "I enjoyed watching the building problems the most because I got to see a bunch of different designs and see which ones worked and which ones did not work."

Tracey Rowe said said she was impressed by the students' "enthusiasm."

"I wanted students to have fun with math and science," he said.

Junior Kim Wendinger said, "The best thing about Science Olympiad is just the experience. I love going there and trying my best and competing against such great schools."

Sophomore Caitlin Lynch enjoys Science Olympiad because she likes being with her team members.

"They are a great group of kids and are always fun to be around," she said.

Finishing in the top four on Saturday were:

Middle School:

-First place, Air Trajectory, Eliza Stone and Mason Pionk.

-Third place, Dynamic Planet, Uriah Aili and Devon Byers.

-First place, Elastic Launched Glider, Uriah Aili and Abbey Johnson.

-Third place, Experimental Design, Adam Mazurek, Katie Emery and Eliza Stone.

-First place, Food Science, Andy Aspinwall and Adam Mazurek.

-Fourth place, Fossils, Vai Triggiano and Kailyn Fingeroos.

-First place, Green Generation, Andy Aspinwall and Tad Rowe.

-Second place, Invasive Species, Devon Byers and Mason Pionk.

-First place, Mission Possible, Jaakob Fyle and Connor Fingeroos.

-Second place, Picture This, Adam Mazurek and Tad Rowe.

-First place, Road Scholar, Tad Rowe and Devon Byers.

-First place, Scrambler, Hannah Janczak and Vai Triggiano.

High School:

-First place, Air Trajectory, Kim Wendinger and TJ Mazurek.

-Third place, Astronomy, Camy Lake and Steph Pestka.

-Third place, Disease Detectives, Byron Hooyman and Jared Janczak.

-First place, Electric Vehicle, Jared Janczak and TJ Mazurek.

-Third place, Experimental Design, Blayne Pellinen, Rachel Emery and Allyson Metas.

-Third place, Fossils, Caitlyn Lynch and Allyson Metas.

-First place, Mapping, Rachel Emery and Tim Rowe.

-Third place, Hydrogeology, Blayne Pellinen and Bryon Hooyman.

-Second place, Invasive Species, Rachel Mazurek and Blayne Pellinen.

-Second place, It's About Time, Steph Pestka and Camy Lake.

-First place, Wright Stuff, Kim Wendinger and Isaiah Aili.

-Fourth place, Bridge Building, Kim Wendinger and Allyson Metas.

-Fourth place, Chem Lab, Rachel Mazurek and Lily Wieringa.

-Fourth place, Protein Modeling, Byron Hooyman and Jared Janczak.

-Fourth place, Write It Do It, Steph Pestka and Maddie Jacobson.