West Henderson’s Science Olympiad club came in 2nd place in their regional competition last weekend, on Saturday, Feb. 22 at UNC Asheville.

“I just think you get to feel super proud of yourself after winning your event,” sophomore Emily Chambliss said. “We have been working super hard on this since September and it feels great for all this hard work to pay off.”

Science Olympiad is a competition in STEM-based categories. There are 23 different events where students work with a partner to try to earn points for their school’s club. There are a lot of test based events, challenging students’ knowledge and brain power.

“It’s a fantastic competition to be a part of,” club adviser Amy Zalevskiy said. “It causes students to reach out and challenge themselves. The activities range from science and forensics to math and comprehension. There are not many clubs where students are building things like boomilevers and gravity powered machines.”

The club has 35 members this year, containing students of all grade levels. The goal of Science Olympiad, according to Zalevskiy, is to give students more hands-on learning experiences and to let their creativity take over.

“Science Olympiad has propelled my desire to learn,” senior Beth Gaffney said. “It has allowed me to explore more in-depth in certain scientific fields such as math and building things. I feel like it’s going to help me later in life and as I go onto higher levels of education. I love being a part of this family.” 

By: Cooper Hughes, Staff Writer