9 hours ago
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - Hundreds of middle and high school students tested their science skills at the annual Science Olympiad regional competition held at Rock Valley College on Saturday.
Participants from the Rockford and Elgin areas competed in numerous science and engineering challenges for the opportunity to advance to the state competition.
Elizabeth Russo, Life Science Professor at RVC and event coordinator, explained that the event allows students to apply classroom knowledge in practical ways.
“Each group has 26 different events. They range from biology events, engineering events, computer events, and science inquiry events,” Russo said. “Some of the events are tests, and some involve building devices like a car or a helicopter, competing to see which one performs best.”
Russo emphasized that the program brings science to life through hands-on learning.
“All these events are STEM-based, and the students engage in many hands-on activities,” she said. “Many of these kids go on to pursue STEM careers in college.”
Eighth-grade Rockford Christian students Grayson Szeto and Landon Moore shared that months of preparation went into their competition events.
The duo spent weeks designing and testing a small rubber band-powered helicopter.
“It involved a lot of learning and repeated testing. It was a lot of trial and error,” Szeto said.
Both students noted the process taught them valuable lessons.
“You’re not going to get it right the first time every time. You just have to keep tweaking things and not give up after the first try,” Szeto explained.
“It’s going to be hard. Things will fall apart, but you have to keep going,” Moore added.
Coaches highlighted perseverance as one of the key benefits students gain from the program.
“You get frustrated, but you keep going. Sometimes you succeed, sometimes you don’t, but you don’t give up. You keep trying, learning, and redoing—that’s all part of the scientific process: learn, explore, grow,” said Jennifer Downey, Rockford Christian High School coach.
Downey also noted that students explore a wide variety of science topics through the competition’s events.
“Sometimes they discover niche hobbies that are fun, like entomology, insects, trees, leaves, and all the classification events,” she said.
Mike Manke, Rockford Christian middle school coach, added that the program helps students build teamwork and confidence.
“Grayson and Landon are great examples. For three years, we encouraged them to join Science Olympiad, and this year they finally broadened their horizons. They flew a state-level helicopter and gained a lot of confidence. They’ve come such a long way, and it’s really special,” Manke said.
The top teams from Saturday’s regional competition will advance to the Illinois Science Olympiad state tournament at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in April. From there, the best teams will move on to the national competition.
Downey said the ultimate goal is to win state.
(Kari Szeto)
“Sometimes we win, sometimes we don’t, but the fun is in the trying,” Downey said.
Rockford Christian’s middle and high school teams will be advancing to the state competition.
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