Panthers make solid showing at Science Olympiad

Hesperia High School Science Olympiad Team includes: front row, left to right, Olivia Erlewein, Camryn Johnson, Olivia Prado, Alex Bieri, Dana Arnold; second row, Ashley Ward, Nate McKeown, Eli O’Neill, Arik LaFave, Collin Nielsen, Coach Jennifer Sherburn; and back row, Mackenzie Stratton, Travis Dyer, Erik Hussey and Emily Prado.

ALMA — Hesperia High School’s Science Olympiad Team finished seventh out of 17 teams Saturday, March 21, at Regionals at Alma College.

Science Olympiad challenges students interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) to become “specialists” in events like Disease Detectives, Entomology, Protein Modeling or Bridge Building. There are 23 different competitive events.

The HHS team had top finishes in several events, including third place in Disease Detectives – Dana Arnold and Alex Bieri; fifth place in Astronomy – Travis Dyer and Eric Hussey; sixth place in Air Trajectory – Eli O’Neill and Collin

Seniors Alex Bieri, left, and Dana Arnold took third place in the event, Disease Detectives.

Nielsen; sixth place in Wright Stuff – Emily Prado and Olivia Prado; and sixth place in Green Generation – Eric Hussey and Alex Bieri.

“Science Olympiad provides a great opportunity for students who are interested in science, particularly engineering, to explore topics that they find interesting,” said Science Olympiad Coach Jennifer Sherburn. “Science Olympiad doesn’t just teach STEM topics — students practice their communication skills, teamwork and persistence as they work through models and prototypes that need improvements.” Hesperia will replace almost half its roster positions next year, as seven members are seniors and will graduate.

If you have information regarding how Science Olympiad teams from other schools in the county performed , please email info and photos to editor@oceanacountypress.com.