By Staff
Students prepare for March 3 regionals
By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER, Staff Writer
Washington High School’s Science Olympiad team is looking for a few good men or women.
The students hope that members of the community will offer to serve as volunteer coaches to assist the team in preparing for regional competition in two weeks.
The regional competition will host teams from Beaufort, Hyde, Martin, Washington, Bertie, Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Pitt and Tyrrell counties. If Washington High School does well at regionals the team will advance to the state competition April 21 in Raleigh.
Although 30 students are preparing for the competition, Swann noted that prospective volunteers shouldn’t be overwhelmed by the thought of stepping in and facing an entire class.
There are currently about 10 volunteer coaches working with the students and parents have been pitching in as well, according to Swann.
The community support in previous years has helped the WHS Science Olympiad team bring home a number of awards on the regional and state levels. In fact, the school won the state title in 2003, 2005 and 2006, allowing the students to take part in the national event.
Beyond the competition, participating in Science Olympiad and other science-related events is preparing students for life after high school.
Swanner, who plans to attend Duke University, is involved in the experimental design and chemistry lab portions of the competition. He has placed 12th in experimental design on the national level.
Friedman has participated in the Olympiad the two years he has attended Washington High School and he thinks the experience has helped prepare him for the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill next fall.
Keenan O’Brien, a junior, has been active in the Olympiad competitions for five years, starting on the middle school level.
For senior Lee Watkins, this is his first Science Olympiad experience.
Watkins has jumped into the competition with both feet, taking part in the physics lab, Fermi questions and genetics categories.
Swann said that anyone willing to offer their time and talents should contact her at 945-1187.