Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad (SCIOLY) is one of the nation’s premier academic competitions for middle and high school students. It is a team-based competition in which 15 students on a team compete across 15-23 different STEM-related events (reduced to 16 this year due to practicalities of construction events). Each team member specializes and competes in 2-4 events, often with a partner. All 2020-2021 Division B (middle school) events are covered below with links to study resources.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020-2021 SCIOLY season will be held largely online. Rancho will be using the mini SO model, which is recommended for schools with distance or hybrid learning (you can view all proposed models here). The 2 Rancho teams (30 students) will be selected through one round of EVENT-BASED TRYOUT EXAMS in late September, administered through Zoom or another virtual platform. Studying and trying out for 2-4 events is recommended. Tryouts are open to ALL Rancho students, regardless of personal learning model (Virtual Academy, Hybrid, or Traditional).
Once teams are selected, students will train for 5-6 months in their assigned 2-4 events. Training will involve independent studying, team meetings, and participation in 2-3 invitationals. This year, a team of dedicated University High School students with extensive experience in SCIOLY will also be coaching and guiding the students. All efforts will ultimately feed into the OC Regional Competition at UCI in February 2021. If teams place within the top 5 at Regionals, they move on to the SoCal State Competition at Caltech. Last year, Rancho placed 4th at Regionals and qualified for State!
If you are interested or wish to receive more Rancho SCIOLY updates in the future, please fill out this interest form by 9/16: https://forms.gle/RVESCn4S4FsLotVc9.
STUDYING RESOURCES (focus on 2-4 events):
GENERAL:
Student Center: scioly.org (links to wiki, test exchange, etc.)
Main Website: soinc.org (PowerPoint overviews + Handouts)
LIFE SCIENCES: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ti7o0F925pU9Hs5dqAtb4c96oUDX23hl-34Vt47GKQM/edit?usp=sharing
EARTH & SPACE SCIENCES:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Vsuvtwur5r3pyOB4OPwp-MAKb_kWpzRBYj6eJ_DFIbs/edit?usp=sharing
PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL SCIENCES (TEST ONLY):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/10vaWxhFTr-2Szoxpc7r9vM4v0AbTR1nSJ5uCYvFQrYI/edit?usp=sharing
INQUIRY
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l2IhhxQ7VRL39cjjtsyXm7Z0w5oK5Wv9GNu7xJs4Cag/edit?usp=sharing