Staff Writer
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| The team poses with their trophy. |
Every
year, a competition with twenty-three events takes place with junior varsity
and varsity teams from high schools across the state competing for a chance to
advance to the state championship. But this is no Olympic decathlon where
athleticism and endurance win the day. It is rather the test of knowledge and
cunning that is Science Olympiad.
Students
receive the chance to compete in many scientific fields based on their
interests. Events range from test-taking to lab studies to building, including
anatomy and physiology, astronomy, and even creating and launching bottle
rockets. Many participants partake in two events, while some take part in three
or even four.
Senior
Yuming Shi, co-captain of the team, participates in the chemistry lab, “shock
value” (a lab in which participants build a circuit), and material science, a
science field that applies the properties of matter to engineering. “Everyone
enjoys science and we’re all motivated,” Shi said of the team.
Apex’s
team was reinstituted three years ago after a ten year hiatus. “Back then
[before the hiatus] we were in a different division with the North Carolina
School of Science and Mathematics and Enloe, so it was tough,” said Carol Bost,
the club sponsor. “But the students came to me and were very eager to start the
team back up.”
The
team was quick to return to form, finishing first place in their division and
going to the state finals last year. “You get to spend two days at N.C. State
and meet people from all over,” Shi said. “Plus, it’s always nice to win.”
