The three pairs of students wound their wooden dowels, tightening a cord that would propel their aluminum can cars along the classroom floor racetrack.
On a countdown, the students set their can cars down and the race was on.
One of the vehicles traveled to the edge of the room disappearing under a row of chairs.
As judges measured the distance, one fifth-grader in particular clasped her hands as if in prayer and when the distance was verified, she cheered her excitement.
Killeen ISD’s 14th annual Science Olympiad was all about the learning and the excitement. A total of 315 third- through fifth-graders from 21 schools competed in 12 events to decide an eventual champion.
Throughout the games, hosted at Nolan Middle School, students built and launched straw-propelled paper rockets, constructed plastic spoon catapults, built and tested tape-and-straw egg protectors, clay-and-pasta bridges and much more.
Clifton Park Elementary School fifth-grader Haniel Zoe Aglee said she thought about the encouragement she received from her coaches to persevere through that car can race.
“We both used teamwork. That is the key. Without teamwork you can’t achieve anything. The first try wasn’t that good. We made angles and adjustments. Then, it went perfectly and went straight,” she said.
“My heart started beating so fast. Then, I wasn’t nervous anymore. I’m really grateful for my coaches and my partner.”
Her partner, fourth-grader Elias Adams, said, “It was exciting because it was my first year to do this. I’ve practiced very hard. My partner here and my coach helped a lot.”
Adams said he has watched Science Olympiad since he was in pre-kindergarten and this was his year to become a participant. “It’s good to be here,” he said. “It’s exciting because it’s my first time to do this.”
The pair won the gold medal in the event.
In fact, Clifton Park Elementary School won its second championship in a row. Skipcha Elementary finished second and Nolanville Elementary came in third. Saegert earned the sportsmanship award.
When Clifton Park was called to the front of the gym to receive the traveling Olympiad trophy, many of the students first cheered, then grew emotional in the victory celebration.
“It feels amazing,” said fifth-grader Khalil Ibitoye. “We’ve won first place multiple years in a row. I think the legacy will continue. We train every Wednesday, and we do Saturdays, too. We do the max that we can, and we push to our limits.”
Especially for the fifth-graders, he said, “winning this year and to come out winners going into sixth grade is emotional for some of us.”
Besides the fun and learning, the annual Olympiad is a community building event that includes 110 teachers who serve as coaches from October to March and numerous volunteers and vendors, as well as an annual Education Foundation grant.
“The Science Olympiad is an amazing opportunity for elementary students to engage in hands-on learning, teamwork and problem-solving,” said Tara Hernandez, a district instructional specialist who served as Olympiad coordinator.
“They get so excited to show what they know and compete against other campuses,” she said, noting a culture of sportsmanship and comradery between the teams.
“They are learning skills they will need later and this builds them up,” said Hernandez. “We work to make sure this is an event they can be proud of when they walk away. At the end, whether they win or not they are so proud of the experience and how well they did.”
KISD 14th Annual Science Olympiad photo gallery:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/killeenisd/albums/72177720324293046/with/54372925787
