Sperreng Middle School’s Science Olympiad team to compete for state honors April 5

Sperreng Middle School’s Science Olympiad team will compete for state honors Saturday, April 5, at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

The Sperreng Science Olympiad team recently placed second in the region during an intense competition at Hazelwood West Senior High School and advanced to the state competition for the third year in a row.

On its way to a second-place finish as a team, the following team members placed in these individual events: Balloon Race, second place, Tim Kendrick and Joe Repp; Bottle Rocket, first place, Stephanie Kunz, Niko Filipi and Ross Albertson; Bridge Building, fifth place, Danny Leimberg, Stephanie Kunz and Kevin Knuepfer; Dynamic Planet, second place, Annemarie Nauert and Joe Lammert; Egg Drop, first place, Andrew Brimer and Katie Ward; Experimental Design, second place, Ross Albertson, Joe Lammert and Annemarie Nauert.

Also: Feathered Frenzy, second place, Annemarie Nauert and Ross Albertson; Fossils, fifth place, Tim Kendrick and Niko Filipi; Life-Science Processes, first place, Dan Viox and Joe Repp; Meterology-Climate, first place, Kevin Knuepfer and Stephen Nester; Mission Possible, second place, Tim Kendrick and Stephen Nester; Reach for the Stars, second place, Andrew Brimer and Jeff Panhorst; Road Scholar, second place, Andrew Brimer and Dan Viox; Science Crime Busters, second place, Katie Ward and Chris Wiley; Science of Fitness, third place, Annemarie Nauert and Brett Tanaka; Water Quality, second place, Stephanie Kunz and Joe Lammert; and Wright Stuff, first place, Joe Repp and Chris Wiley.

The Science Olympiad is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to improving science education and increasing student interest in science. It also provides recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers, according to a Lindbergh news release.

The Science Olympiad tournaments are rigorous interscholastic competitions made up of a series of individual and team events. Students prepare for the competition throughout the year. The challenging competitions balance the various science disciplines including biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, computers and technology.

“It is difficult for anyone who has not been involved with Science Olympiad to understand the level of difficulty undertaken in this competition,” explained Diane O’Leary, gifted education teacher at Sperreng. “These students are competing against the upper echelon of students in St. Louis and surrounding areas. Some of them have worked at their specific events since last summer. Most of them have worked at their specific events since October, spending countless days after school. Now that they have progressed to the state competition, these students will spend the next five weeks taking their studies to an even more intense level. Their commitment is huge, and each and every one of them deserves congratulations.”

The team is coached by O’Leary and Sara Sumner, a science teacher at Sperreng, with assistance from Laurice Badino, gifted education teacher, and Allen Russell, science teacher Badino and Russell also volunteered their time during the competition to help judge events. Sperreng’s Science Olympiad team will compete for state honors April 5 at the University of Missouri-Columbia.