The Salem High School Science Club traveled to Indiana University Southeast in New Albany on Saturday, February 13^th where they competed in the Regional Science Olympiad. The Lion Scientists proved to be too much for the competition as they came away with top honors and qualified for the State Science Olympiad to be held on the Indiana University Bloomington campus on Saturday, March.20^th.  

            Science Olympiad competition consists of 23 events in which students are tested over their knowledge and skills in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science, Astronomy, Engineering, Technology, Immunology, Anatomy & Physiology, Forensics, and Environmental Science. Each student participates in 3-4 events in which they may be required to build a device, conduct laboratory work, or take a pencil and paper test using their knowledge of science content and their ability to apply scientific concepts. Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals were awarded for each event and team trophies were awarded to the top three teams in each division. There are two levels of competition with the B division being for middle school and C division for high school.

            The Lions won medals in 18 of the 22 events with 9 being gold, 4 being silver, and 5 being bronze.

Gold medals went to Wendy Fleenor and Mallery Deaton in Cell Biology; Cora Carter and Jared Baird in Environmental Chemistry; Hunter Allen and Austin Lyles in Physics Lab, Olivia Chastain and Tressie Barrett in Technical Problem Solving; Carter and Barrett in Forensics; Chastain and Lyles in It's About Time; Fleenor and Baird in Ecology; Malachi Zink, Evan Stochrahm, and Nathan Tullis, in Picture This; and Lyles and Tullis in Astronomy.

            Silver medals went to Fleenor and Deaton in Anatomy & Physiology; Allen, Zink, and Stockrahm in Experimental Design; Carter and Chastain in Write It - Do It; and Fleenor and Deaton in Disease Detectives.

            Bronze medals went to David Wells and Stockrahm in Trajectory; Tullis and Zink in Mousetrap Vehicles; Stockrahm and Lyles in Remote Sensing; Wells and Allen in Ornithology; and Baird and Barrett in Mission Possible.

            The Lion Scientists were coached by the science staff of Salem High School.   Head coach John Calhoun was assisted by Steve Riggle, Stuart Tower, and Greg McCurdy with each coach contributing from their areas of expertise.

            This was the first Science Olympiad Regional championship won by a Salem team.