PLATTSBURGH — Yet again, Plattsburgh High School students have proven their superior passion and aptitude for science and technology.
The school's Science Olympiad team, divided into two sub groups, recently took top honors at the regional Science Olympiad — for the fourth year in a row.
For the event, which took place at Clarkson University, schools from across the region competed in a variety of activities dealing with everything from biology and earth science to physics, chemistry and technology.
"We cover literally every world of science you can think of," said Corey Mousseau, PHS science teacher and a Science Olympiad team coach.
The school's two sub teams, each comprising nine students, came in first and second place in the competition, earning Plattsburgh its fourth appearance at the State Olympiad in Buffalo this March.
Beginning last summer, the students worked individually and in pairs to prepare for their particular events. Some require participants to construct elaborate devices, intended to perform specific tasks, while others require students to research a topic extensively and prove their knowledge on a written test.
"You can kind of choose what you're interested in, so you're not limited to certain topics like you sometimes are in school," said sophomore Jake Messner, who, together with partner Walker Gosrich, constructed a small car that uses magnets to levitate and move over a track.
SALINOMETER
While coaches Mousseau, Wendy DeMane, Sonal Patel-Dame, David Sponable and Steven Tice work with students to tweak their projects and provide support, the long hours of research and preparation are left entirely up to the kids.
"That's the biggest thing a lot of people don't realize — we as coaches don't teach the stuff to them," Mousseau said.
"I don't even know a majority of the things they're doing. They know way more than I do."
For example Risha Sheni and Leo Lee, both freshmen, teamed up for the "Water Quality" event, building a salinometer to measure salt concentrations in water. The pair also learned to identify microvertebrates that may be found in the liquid.
"We studied what indicates good water (and) what indicates bad water," Sheni said.
The duo came in first place in the event at the regional competition and look forward to seeing how their skills match up to some of the state's best competitors.
TIME MANAGEMENT
In addition to gaining a wealth of knowledge about their topics of study, the students learn the importance of dedication and careful planning.
Gosrich said building a guitar for the event "Sounds of Music," in which he and partner Kelly Cantwell won first place at regionals, taught him a lot about time management.
"I've obviously learned a lot about making guitars, but (also) a lot about long-term preparation for stuff," he said.
For senior Justin Collins, who came in first place in the "Helicopters" event, participating in Science Olympiad has earned him attention from Clarkson University.
Collins recently received an acceptance letter from the college, containing a hand-written note congratulating him on his success in the competition.
HIGH HOPES
And another practical aspect of participating in the competition was acquiring the funding to take part.
The young scientists, themselves, raised much of the money.
The school covered about 25 percent of the team's expenses, Mousseau said, and the rest was either provided by parents or generated through fundraising efforts.
Team members have high hopes of winning the state competition this year and advancing on to the National Science Olympiad in Orlando, Fla., something Mousseau feels is entirely possible.
"We've gone to states every year, but the first year we went, we came in last place out of 54 teams. The third year, we came in 14th, which was a huge leap forward.
"This year they're gunning down winning," he said.
Email Ashleigh Livingston at: alivingston@pressrepublican.com
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