Earlier this month, the Starr’s Mill Science Olympiad Team  competed at the Georgia Perimeter College Regional. The team came in sixth overall. “I was happy with the result considering our team was in a very tough regional with a couple of purely STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics] schools,” senior co-captain captain Aubrey Bennett said.

Participants in Science Olympiad are able to compete in multiple events that include a variety of different components that cover different career paths of STEM.  “There are Biology evens like Anatomy and Physiology and Disease Detectives, Chemistry events like Forensics and Chem Lab, Earth Science events like Rocks and Minerals and Dynamic Planet and Engineering events like Towers and Robot Arm,” Bennett said.

The team performed well at the individual group level as well. Junior Bryce Smith and senior co-captain Maddi Laney placed first in Chemistry Lab. Second place finishes include Bennett in Remote Sensing as well as Rock and Minerals with her partner Smith and sophomore Ana Kewley and sophomore Devin Moan in Write it Do it. Additional awards included junior Valeria Benavides and Bennett placing third in Dynamic Plant  and Laney and Benavides placed fourth in Anatomy.  

This was the final competition for Bennett and the rest of the Science Olympiad team of this school year. “I am always so proud to take our students to Science Olympiad competitions. They work so hard to prepare and study for the events, and it is rewarding when we can see them earn medals for their hard work,” club sponsor Michelle Barron said.