MMS Science Olympiad - About SciOly

What Is Science Olympiad?

Science Olympiad is one of the most respected STEM competitions in the United States, challenging students to explore science through inquiry, collaboration, and hands-on problem solving. Founded in 1984, the program now includes more than 6,700 teams nationwide, competing in over 400 tournaments each year.

At Memorial Middle School, Science Olympiad is both an academic team and a community of curious thinkers. Students don’t just study science — they do science: building, testing, designing, and applying their knowledge across multiple disciplines.

Our season runs from October through May, culminating in regional and state-level tournaments where top teams advance to compete nationally.

How It Works

Science Olympiad operates like an academic track meet, with 23 individual events covering every major area of science, engineering, and technology. Events change each year and include both study-based and build-based challenges.

Some examples:

Study Events test knowledge in areas like anatomy, meteorology, and hereditary.
Build Events require engineering design, where students construct and test devices such as bridges, helicopters, and vehicles.
Lab or Inquiry Events emphasize experimentation, coding, or data analysis.

Each event has a dedicated coach (or student coaches!) who guides students through materials, practices, and testing or build sessions. Practices are held once per week at Mentor High School, often combining students from both Memorial and Shore Middle School. Because there are more events than competitors, students play a strategic role in covering the team’s full range of events. The more events a student trains for, the more likely they are to compete at invitationals and beyond.

2025-26 Division B Events

Below are the 23 events for the 2025-2026 Science Olympiad season. Each event combines knowledge, skill, and creativity — from solving forensic puzzles to programming codes or engineering aerodynamic machines.