Hesperia students excel at Science Olympiad competition.

Junior Ali Townsend makes a few adjustments to her bridge before testing.

Hesperia students excel at Science Olympiad competition.

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HESPERIA — Hesperia middle and high school students had exciting finishes during regional competition at Mid-Michigan Community College in Mount Pleasant Saturday, March 19. 

Science Olympiad is an academic-focused extracurricular option for students interested in math, science, and engineering. Students become “specialists” in events like forensics, meteorology, gravity vehicles or ornithology, explained Panther coaches Jennifer Sherburn and Dan Postema.

There are 23 different events in which students can participate. A full Science Olympiad team roster is composed of up to 15 students, and most events allow students to compete in pairs. 

The Hesperia Middle School team had first or second place finishes in 10 of the 23 events.

The middle school team, coached by Postema, includes seventh graders Eliana Sanker, Audrie Vanderslute, Leslie Coronado, and Lyla Coronado; eighth graders Elyssa Wright, Ana Doctor, Cijon Sealey, Dain Kraus, Logan Kammer, Robert Frazier, and Olivia Gerard; and ninth graders Andrew Sherburn, Anderson Boes, and Ethan O’Neil.  

Front row, left to right: Ana Doctor, Eliana Sanker, Audrie Vanderslute, and Elyssa Wright; middle row: Sky Milner, Ali Townsend, Julieann Davis, Kaylee Noffsinger, Olivia Gerard, Robert Frazier, and Makenzie Bradfield; and back row: Coach Dan Postema, Logan Kammer, Nikkole Frens, Kayla Rumsey, Ethan O’Neill, Anderson Boes, Andrew Sherburn, Abbigayle Hasty, Kaylea Damrow, Cijon Sealey, Dane Kraus, and Coach Jennifer Sherburn.

Receiving first place awards were: Road Scholar (Logan Kammer and Dain Kraus); Bridges (Andrew Sherburn); Food Science (Logan Kammer and Dain Kraus); Mission Possible (Logan Kammer); Crave the Wave (Ana Doctor, Olivia Gerard); Sounds of Music (Olivia Gerard); and Storm the Castle/Catapult (Eliana Sanker and Robert Frazier). Second place awards include: Green Generation (Ana Doctor); Bio-Process Lab (Robert Frazier and Cijon Sealey); and Electric Glider/Wright Stuff (Ethan O’Neil and Anderson Boes).

The high school team, coached by Sherburn, had five students of the nine-member team finish in first or second place. Juniors Sky Milner and Nikkole Frens placed first in Write It; Do It. New member Ali Townsend scored a second place finish in Bridge Building. New members Abbigayle Hasty and Kaylea Damrow placed second in Environmental Chemistry and third in Write Stuff, an airplane building event. Also, adding points for the high school team were sophomores Julieann Davis, Kaylee Noffsinger, Kayla Rumsey, and Makenzie Bradfield. 

“Science Olympiad provides a wonderful opportunity for students to challenge themselves and find academic success

Logan Kammer and Dain Kraus stand next to Logan’s “Mission Possible” Project.

outside of the classroom,” said Coach Sherburn. She also noted how special and unique it was this year to have an all-girl team. “We had a small but strong team this year. I am proud of their hard work and achievements and looking forward to their leadership as upperclass students next year.”  

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