In the Press
The SMS Science Olympiad: Encouraging Questions, Engaging the Curious (Sycamore Community School District, 2023)
"This Thursday, March 16, Sycamore Middle School will be hosting a night of curiosity, competition, exploration, and learning. The SMS Science Olympiad is making its annual return, and this year is going to be one of its biggest yet. It takes countless hours of planning, volunteering, and dedication behind the scenes to put on an event like the Science Olympiad. No matter the challenges that its organizers have faced though, each event has delivered a space where people of any age are challenged to be curious, lifelong users of the Science and Engineering Processes." (Continue reading...)
"Justin Hames thinks science fairs are boring. That’s why instead of having a science fair, Sycamore Middle School holds a Science Olympiad that’s free, educational and fun for the community to attend. This year’s event – the 35th annual – was held March 17.
Justin Hames, science department chair, said hosting a Science Olympiad has two purposes. 'It’s all about two things: fun together as a community and sharing a love of learning,' Hames said. 'Science should be fun. If it isn’t, you’re not doing it right.'
Eighth-grade science teacher Liz Peterson said she hopes the event brings back a childlike sense of wonder in all ages." (Continue reading...)
"To start their summer break, a group of Sycamore Middle School students spent Tuesday digging holes and planting more than 600 native plants in hopes of improving water retention and reducing flooding.
The students are members of the G-Force Club, which stands for Girls Force, at the middle school, a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) club for girls.
Their efforts were part of the RISE Challenge Illinois program in which the students submitted proposals." (Continue reading...)
Students apply science lessons at Sycamore Middle School's Science Olympiad by Katie Dahlstrom (Shaw Local, 2015)
"Sophie McComb learned Thursday that an egg can still crack no matter how much bubble wrap and construction paper you place around it. She learned it first hand, in fact, when she dropped a carefully crafted egg package from the top of a 10-foot ladder in her school gym. The parachute fell off just as she was about to let the bundle sink to the target on the floor.
'Well, it didn't make a sound when it dropped and our parachute fell off,' said Sophie, an eighth-grader. 'But it did crack. I think it was well-structured, but we could have made improvements.'
Sophie was one of more than 200 Sycamore Middle School students who competed in Thursday's Science Olympiad." (Continue reading...)
