Maui Businesses Rally To Support First Science Olympiad on Maui

By Sonia Isotov

The Boeing Company and Pacific Defense Systems are among event judges at the First Maui Regional Science Olympiad Tournament held on Saturday, January 29, 1:30 – 2:30 pm, at the UH-Maui College campus.

This is the first time that the Hawaii Science Olympiad will be held on Maui and the public is invited to the bottle rocket and tower events.

“Tying in the real world industry partners and businesses to provide mentoring and guidance to our participating students is a key piece of developing our future STEM workforce pipeline”, said Isla Young, Program Manager, Maui Economic Development Board’s Women in Technology Program, who is a key logistical partner of the Science Olympiad.

“As a science teacher and advocate for the advancement of critical thinking skills, I’m excited about this event knowing that Maui middle and high school students are given the opportunity to compete here on Maui rather than going to a neighbor island,” says Flaviana Ancheta, Maui Regional Director and Lahaina Intermediate School teacher.  To date, there are three regional tournaments in place: Leeward Oahu, Windward Oahu, and Kauai.

Ancheta reiterated the concept of Science Olympiad is to improve the quality of science education, generate student interests in science, and provide recognition for outstanding achievement in science by both students and teachers.         

The tournament consists of two divisions: Division B (middle school) and  Division C (high school).  For Division B, the events are Experimental Design, Disease Detective, Dynamic Planet, Fossil, and Bottle Rocket.

For Division C, the events are Chemistry Lab, Anatomy, Astronomy, Disease Detective, and Towers.

The three schools that score the highest in each division will compete in the Statewide Regional Tournament on March 5^th at Leeward Community College in Oahu. At the statewide tournament, the school that garners the highest in each division will represent Hawaii in the National Science Olympiad Tournament at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on May 18-21,”         

The competing schools are: Clearview School, H.P. Balwin High School, Kekaulike High School, Kihei Charter School, Lahaina Intermediate School, Lahainaluna High School, Lokelani Intermediate School, Maui Preparatory Academy, Maui High School, and St. Anthony Junior-Senior High. 

Last year, Maui Preparatory Academy represented Hawaii in the Division B  during the National Science  Olympiad Tournament at the University of Illinois. They ranked 7^th  in Ecology.

This event is presented by the Hawaii State Science Olympiad in partnership with the Maui Economic Development Board’s( MEDB)-Women in Technology Project, and the University of Hawaii-Maui College and funded in part by the Air Force Research Laboratory.