Three Lake Washington School District teams made it to the national Science Olympiad competition this year. Two middle school teams, Timberline and Redmond, participated in the virtual event May 9-14. Additionally, Nikola Tesla STEM High School was the only LWSD high school team that competed. Timberline placed the highest of the LWSD teams by finishing in seventh. Although none of the teams finished in first place overall, each team won at least one of the many events that make up the national competition. This year was the 38th Annual Science Olympiad National Tournament. The theme this year was “Imagination”.

The teams from Timberline and Tesla STEM each won the state championship earlier this year and automatically qualified for the national competition. Redmond finished second at state but qualified for the national competition based on results from other states. 

According to the Science Olympiad website, Science Olympiad competitions are like academic track meets, consisting of a series of 23 team events in each division (Division B is middle school; Division C is high school). Each year, a portion of the events are rotated to reflect the ever-changing nature of genetics, earth science, chemistry, anatomy, physics, geology, mechanical engineering and technology. By combining events from all disciplines, Science Olympiad encourages a wide cross-section of students to get involved. Emphasis is placed on active, hands-on group participation. Through Science Olympiad, students, teachers, parents, principals and business leaders bond together and work toward a shared goal.