Table of Contents

Competitions

Science Olympiad - This tournament consists of many smaller competitions regarding various subjects of STEM. Typically, there are two types of competitions: building and testing. The building events are constructed before the tournament, giving us plenty of time to make sure everything is in working order. The testing events consist of everything from anatomy to fossils and are typically prepared for through practice test and independent or group study. The tests are taken in groups of two or three with the students almost always having to work together. The most important thing about Science Olympiad tournaments is that we need to prepare for the events on a paced schedule since falling behind is easy.

TEAMS - This is a more engineering-based tournament where a small team of eight or less will work together in order to complete the various parts to the competition. The state level tournament consists of a group essay, a multiple-choice test, and a building challenge all related to this year's assigned topic: Engineering in the Wild. The essay will be worked on through the first half of the second semester and completed a week or so before the test date. Some notes will be necessary for the test, but most of the questions all regard calculations, so our main focus will be to get better at these types of problems.

How are Practices Structured?

We will be having practice for the TEAMS competition every other Monday in C332, as seen on the calendar page. During these practices we will largely be doing practice problems for the TEAMS regional test as well as formulating the essay we will submit next semester.

Science Olympiad practices will be held every Wednesday in G107, as seen on the calendar page. During these practices we will be designing and building mechanisms for the building events in Science Olympiad as well as studying our topics for the testing events.

What if I'm Not Smart Enough to Help Out?

There is no such thing as smart, there is only experienced. The people who are the best at a subject are only those who spend the most time practicing it and gaining the experience they need to stand out. That's exactly what STEM Team is - a way to gain experience and practice fun science and engineering challenges with your friends. Everyone has something they can contribute. Even if you have always disliked math, for example, there are plenty of sciences that involve very little or even no math! Who knows, maybe you'll pick up on a few things and decide you want to be a mathematician while you're here.

How Do I Join STEM Team?

The STEM Team is an open club, meaning anyone can join! Our only qualification is that everyone does their part in helping the team in some way. As the time for the competitions closes in (the second semester) the STEM Team captains will give out practice tests to see how much you know about the subject you decided to focus on. These progress updates, how well you work with the rest of the team, and how dedicated you are will all be weighed to determine the team that will be participating in the competition. If we have enough people we may even make two (or more) teams!

Does it Cost Any Money?

Since participating in these competitions and building the various structures needed does cost money we have implemented a $25 entrance fee to the club. This is not the only option though! If you would rather ask a local company to sponsor HHS STEM, and get $50 or more in sponsorship money, that counts as your fee! There will be an additional $50 fee for every member who attends each competition. If you are not selected to go, you will not have to pay that. There is always a potential for extra fees, especially if we are going to a national level competition, but an initial $50 will cover a large amount of costs including a team shirt. We want to be as inclusive of a club as possible, so if you have any problems with money/getting a sponsorship please talk to us or use the Q&A tab on this website, we are always willing to help out.

Who Do I Have to Listen to?

STEM Team is a student led club, meaning we appoint our own leaders and try to be as collaborative as possible throughout the team. Reid Markland, Narcy Amireddy, and Ria Shah are this year's leaders and will lead the meetings as well as assign tasks, but if you feel like you aren't being heard or you are unhappy with your situation we will work with you to help solve it.

How Do I Know STEM Team Knows What They're Doing?

Last year we competed in the same competitions we plan to compete in this year, so we now have some experience and a better grasp on what we're doing. Despite being newbies, we made it to the Science Olympiad State Competition last year and placed top four in an impressive amount of subjects for a first year team. In the TSA-TEAMS State Competition our 11th and 12th grade team scored the highest regional score of any high school in America and went on to have the eighth best research presentation in the nation as well. Our 9th and 10th grade team placed top ten in the national test for TEAMS as well!