Santa Barbara Unified junior high schools manage strong showing at Regional Science Olympiad
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – Santa Barbara, La Cumbre and Goleta Valley junior high schools managed a strong showing at the Regional Science Olympiad, according to the Santa Barbara Unified School District.
On Mar. 11 at UC Santa Barbara, junior high students from the three schools took home 44 individual Science Olympiad medals from the competition.
According to the district, the Science Olympiad is a national STEM competition featuring 6,000 teams at 425 tournaments in all 50 states.
Santa Barbara Unified students participated in the regional competition, which included the Central and South Coast and Southern California, according to SBUSD.
SBUSD spokesperson Ed Zuchelli said Goleta Valley Junior High’s two teams earned medals in 18 events:
- Gold Medals: Crave the Wave, Experimental Design, Rocks and Minerals, Sounds of Music, and Storm the Castle
- Silver Medals: Can’t Judge a Powder, Crime Busters, Disease Detectives, Meteorology, Rocks and Minerals
- Bronze Medals: Anatomy and Physiology, Bio Process Lab, Bridge, Flight, Solar System, Code Busters, Disease Detectives, and Write It Do It
Santa Barbara Junior High excelled in engineering events, winning silver medals in Bridge, Flight, and Roller Coaster, according to Zuchelli.
Zuchelli also said La Cumbre won third place in the Fast Facts competition, and was the only school from their county to place in that event.
“The success these students had in the Regional Science Olympiad shows their hard work and dedication to STEM,” said Dr. Hilda Maldonado, SBUSD superintendent. “As we prepare future engineers, scientists and mathematicians, these events inspire and contribute to bringing real-life lessons that their teachers and coaches deliver daily.”
