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Where do I get the money??
The costs of participating in the Science Olympiad include a $200 registration fee and the cost of supplies used for construction and laboratory events. You may also need to plan for the cost associated with travel.
- Besides the usual fund raising activities like car washes, bake sales, etc., (which are great for building team spirit), if you have or form an extracurricular science club, parents and community members can contribute Arizona tax credit money to your club. Be sure you speak to your administration to establish a club account and get your club listed among the choices on the mailer sent to the service area and/or on the schools' tax credit web page so it will be easy for donors to contribute.
- You may also be able to get local retailers to donate materials and/or to sponsor your team.
- Take advantage of grant money offered by the Science Olympiad -- there are funds available to help with travel costs, to help support new teams, and for helping to recruit new schools to participate.
- It is also possible to receive prize money towards next year’s expenses at the state tournament. Some of these club account funds are awarded based on the team's place in an event and some is given randomly from among the teams participating in a particular event.
Other ideas? What have you found helpful?
How do you sustain the momentum from year to year??
- When you are at the tournament emphasize your pride in their accomplishments, regardless of how they place. Emphasize the goals of having fun, supporting one another and being good sportsmen as they prepare and compete. Be enthusiastic; that positive attitude combined with the camaraderie of the team will foster a contagious energetic spirit.
- Ask your administration to recognize the team for competing at the State Tournament in any way possible (newsletters, news on web page, school announcements, district board meetings).
- Recruit freshman and sophomores as well as juniors and seniors each year. Those lower classman will become the nucleus of the next year's team. Soon the Science Olympiad club will "take on a life of its own" and become self-perpetuating.
- After you get your own team established, you may want to think about reaching out to your “feeder” middle or junior high schools and encourage the science teachers there to consider getting their students involved in the Science Olympiad (Division B). When these students reach high school, they will be likely to want to continue to participate,
Other ideas? Post a comment.
What if I can't get 15 kids interested?
Involve as many students as you can. You are not required to have a full team (although it will likely be difficult to participate in all events if you don't). Once students experience the excitement of competing in the State Tournament they will be your best ambassadors to promote the program for future years.
Do we have to participate in all the events?
Your team is not required to participate in all events. If you can, it is a good idea to have at least one student go to each event (even if they don't feel prepared) to get some insight as to what the event is. (That information will allow the team to better prepare for next year's tournament. There is nothing quite like seeing the event with your own eyes. Only a few events are open to the public. The only way to see what "closed door" events are like is to have a student participate. Coaches and other students are not allowed to observe these events).
Share your ideas. Write a comment.
How do you prepare students for so many different events??
There are a lot of events in the Science Olympiad, and you can't expect to be an expert in all of them. Here are some ideas to help you keep from feeling overwhelmed.
- Try to get other teachers at your school involved. If they cannot help you with coaching, ask them to be available as mentors to students. If nothing else perhaps they would be willing to help chaperone the students at the state tournament; that experience may help win them over for next year.
- Try to get business people in your area involved; students or other faculty may know parents, engineers, technologists who may be interested in helping the students preparing for an event or two.
- Sometimes you will have students who are willing to accept the challenge of a particular event on their own.
- Ask for help. The Arizona Science Olympiad board has contacts with societies of scientists and engineers, and we may be able to find an individual in your area who may be willing to help mentor students in a particular event.
- Limit your participation to those events with which you are most comfortable and then have students get ideas by observing other events at the State tournament and talking to other students. Like any athletic team, there will be "building years."
- Approach coaches from other schools in your area. Many are willing to help you get started. The AZ Science Olympiad blog (http://azscienceolympiad.blogspot.com) also provides a venue to get information and answers from other teachers.
- Attend a national coaches training. The AZ Science Olympiad has grant money to help pay for your registration fees and travel expenses.
Other ideas? Write a comment.
How do I get students involved??
If you already have a science club, ask how many students would be interested in participating. Talk about the Science Olympiad to your science classes and ask your science colleagues to do the same. Describe some of the events and emphasize how much fun they will have. You might also invite other students to come find out about the Science Olympiad through your school announcements. Be sure to describe how the club will be perfect for students who are creative, want to get involved, have fun and do hands-on activities. You might also invite the State Directors (Hal Eastin and/or Aggie Paluch) or a coach from another team in your area to meet with your science club or a group of interested students.
Other ideas? Post a comment.
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We hope that this blog will provide a place for all of us to share ideas, facilitate greater participation, and make the Science Olympiad a more satisfying experience for everyone involved.
Our main web page continues to be http://www.gccaz.edu/biology/so and this is the site that will have downloadable forms, event descriptions, and critical announcements. This blog is intended instead to be more of a discussion group where coaches can share their experiences, information, ideas, suggestions, and concerns with one another. We hope that "veterans" will be able to share their experiences with "rookies" and that "rookies" may bring some new ideas to the mix.
Anyone can read this blog, but to write postings or comments, you will need to be a member. Coaches registering their teams will become automatic members (and should receive an e-mailed invitation to join); other interested individuals may complete this form to subscribe.
Coaches ... this is your blog. We look forward to reading what you want to talk about.
