Driver Middle School Science Olympiad Team

Congratulations go out to the 2011 Driver Middle School (DMS) Science Olympiad Team on their 5th place finish at the Regional Science Olympiad competition held on March 5, 2011 at East Syracuse-Minoa High School. The 5th place performance qualifies the DMS Science Olympiad Team as a regional alternate for the state championships. The Science Olympiad is an international non-profit organization “devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science, and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science”. The Science Olympiad tournament begins at the regional level and progresses through state and national competitions. The tournaments provide for “rigorous academic competition that consists of team events” relative to a variety of science topics. This year’s Driver Middle School Science Olympiad Team was coached by Hannah Naczi/DMS Science Teacher and Jessica Hehl/DMS Science teacher. Also noteworthy on this year’s team is the inclusion of sixth grade students under the guidance of DMS Elementary Science Lab instructor Mary Jo Hoeft. The success of the team is reflective of several months of preparation, creativity, and dedication that the DMS competitors put into their individual projects. The thirty-one team members include:
Team #14
7th Grade – Cecil Nelson, Josh Greenfield
8th Grade – Mike Abbott, Sean King, Mike Clark, Dylan Felty, Julianna Beratta, Abbi Rix, Corey Palmer, Nick Pinkowski
9th Grade – Steve Hogan, Geoffrey Golick, Mark Tompkins, Emily Fabian, Eli Parrish

Team #25
6th Grade – M.C. Coon, Dan Cusick, Mickael Welch, Steve Fournier, Tristan Wiley, Abby Vetsch, Sarah Rohe, Mike Spicer, Kevin Brown, Nick Destefano, John McManus, Will Kisil, Shelby Panek, Kira Hawes, Abby VanCamp
7th Grade – Colin McCormick

Individual medal winners from the DMS team include:
1st Place:
Sumobots – Emily Fabian, Juliana Beratta
Storm the Castle – Mike Abbott, Sean King
Write It, Do It – Mike Abbott, Sean King


2nd Place:
Mag-Lev Cars – Mike Abbott, Sean King

3rd Place:
Batty Buggy – Nick Pinkowski
Junkyard Challenge – Emily Fabian, Juliana Beratta

4th Place:
Dynamic Planet – Steve Hogan, Mark Tompkins
Experimental Design – Dylan Felty, Mike Clark
Bottle Rocket – Steve Fournier, Tristan Wiley
Helicopter – Nick Destefano, John McManus

5th Place:
Optics – Mike Clark, Dylan Felty

6th Place:
Ecology – Steve Hogan, Geoff Golick
Junkyard Challenge – Steve Fournier, Tristan Wiley

Steve Hogan and Geoff Golick just missed a medal with a 7th place finish and Geoff should also be commended for his 9th place finish in the Fossils competition. Geoff worked alone as he filled in at the last minute and still managed a high place finish with limited resources.