The Twenty-Ninth Sacramento Regional
When?
Where?
Division B
Grades 6-8
Saturday, March 5, 2016
CSU Sacramento campus
Division C
Grades 9-12
What is the Science Olympiad?
The Science Olympiad was created in 1983 by Dr. Gerard J. Putz and Jack Cairns to
increase the interest in science and as an alternative to traditional science fairs and singlediscipline tournaments. The National Science Olympiad is an international nonprofit
organization devoted to improving the quality of science education and increasing student
interest in science. The Science Olympiad has been on the cutting edge of educational
innovations for twenty-eight years. These innovations include an emphasis on high
academic standards; demonstration of skills through performance testing; learning
through hands-on, minds-on activities; cooperative learning through events which require
teamwork; improved self-concept through success in achieving high standards; mastery
learning of core curriculum goals and objectives; making applications and connections to
the real world; and integrating not only the disciplines of science but the entire spectrum
of learning. The Science Olympiad owes much of its success to the fact that it was
developed by teachers for teachers and their students, and because it embodies the best of
all educational research and innovation. Regional and State Science Olympiad
competitions are held throughout the United States and Canada.
The National Science Olympiad competition will be held at the University of WisconsinStout on May 18-21, 2016.
The Olympiad Tournament
During the school year, each school develops a team of 15 students prepared to compete
in Science Olympiad tournaments held on the local, state, and national levels. These
interscholastic competitions consist of a series of 40 individual and team events that
encourage learning in biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, problem solving, and
technology. Events in the Science Olympiad have been designed to recognize the wide
variety of skills that students possess. While some events require knowledge of scientific
facts and concepts, others rely on science processes, skills, or applications. This ensures
that everyone can participate, including students from technology classes or advanced
science classes. In Sacramento, there is an Olympiad division for 6th-8th grade (B), and
9th-12th grade (C).
The Goal of the Olympiad
Both students and teachers dedicate their efforts with the Science Olympiad to the goals
of improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science and
providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education. These goals can
be achieved through participation in Science Olympiad tournaments, and incorporation of
Olympiad events into classroom activities. We also hope that our efforts can bring
academic competition to the same level of recognition and praise normally reserved for
athletic competitions in this country.
State Competition
The NorCal Science Olympiad is scheduled to be held at CSU, Stanislaus in Turlock, CA
on April 16, 2016. The NorCal State Science Olympiad competition is a cooperative
effort of the seven regions in the Northern California Olympiad area. The top four
winning teams from each region will be eligible to compete in the NorCal Science
Olympiad.
Events
Enclosed is a listing of the events in this years B and C Division manuals. Please note
that some events from the past have been dropped and new ones added.
Membership
The 2016 Registration Fee will be $350.00. This includes the National, NorCal and
Sacramento membership fees. You may not participate at the regional, state, or national
level without paying the total registration fee. In addition, you are not eligible to
compete in an “invitational” tournament unless you are a registered, paid team with our
local regional competition.
The attached regional registration form and membership fees are due by:
 January 15, 2016
Coaches Meetings:
Two coaches meetings are scheduled for the 2015 Olympiad and will be held from 4:00–
5:00 PM at Mira Loma High School, 4000 Edison Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95821 in
Room F-3. If a separate meeting is needed for “New Coaches”, one will be
scheduled during the fall.
1. January 20, 2016
2. February 24, 2016
Event Coordinators Meeting: TBA
Details and directions to Mira Loma High School will be emailed at a later date. The
meetings will be used for planning, schedule review, volunteer recruitment, event
discussion and event clarifications. Emails will be sent out to provide information on the
regional competition and update you on the status of the NorCal competition
Volunteers:
In your preparations for the Olympiad, start lining up your volunteer help early so you
will be able to provide us those names as soon as possible. We will, as in the past, need
a minimum of two volunteers per team from each participating school to support
the Event Coordinators. This is very crucial to the success of the event. Submission of
the registration form and registration fee indicates that you and your school are
aware of the responsibility to provide two volunteers to cover specific events on the
day of the regional Science Olympiad. At the January meeting, we will discuss the
requirements and responsibilities of the volunteers and consequences for teams who do
not provide the adequate number of volunteers by the due date. If you are a winning
team at the Sacramento Regional Science Olympiad, your school will also be
responsible for providing volunteers and Event Coordinators for the NorCal State
Science Olympiad to be held on Saturday, April 16, 2016.
Science Curriculum and Science Olympiad
You are encouraged to include Olympiad events as a part of your curriculum to teach and
reinforce specific concepts. You and your students will all be winners. The most
successful school teams have been those who use Olympiad events in the classroom and
hold mini school site Olympiads. From a competition standpoint the school that can
consistently score above average in all events will generally do better than a school with
as many firsts as last place finishes.
Team Spirit
Although some events in the Science Olympiad are based on individual achievement, all
events involve teamwork, group planning and cooperation. That is the real essence of the
Science Olympiad. The emphasis is on advanced learning in science through active,
hands-on group participation. Through the Olympiad, students, teachers, coaches,
principals, business leaders, and parents are bonded together as a team working toward a
goal. The Olympiad provides an alternative to the “isolated scientist” stereotype and
reminds students that science can be fun, exciting, and challenging all at the same time.
In college and beyond, students will find that the team spirit and good sportsmanship they
developed during Science Olympiad will be deciding factors in their success.
Web Sites:
Please check out the following web sites for additional information:
www.sacramentoscienceolympiad.com
www.norcalscienceolympiad.com
www.soinc.org