Well done everyone! You made it to State and you made it through State! I’m sorry this is so long. Please take your time to read all the way through. (Code word protocol applies.)
First, I want to give some big shouts of thanks. To Mrs. Walko who helped us all navigate the campus she knows so well, organized our post tournament dinner out, and generally was helpful to everyone all around. To the rest of the parents without whom we couldn’t have done as well at this tournament. They took on the long-distance driving, demonstrated mad parking skills, and provided you all with overnight accommodation. That is definitely above and beyond the call. (Many school team parents simply put their students on a bus.) To the many dedicated volunteers serving all day at your events and behind the scenes among whom Mr. Walko and Mrs. Olivo had roles. They served on our behalf making the tournament possible and satisfied our team’s obligation. Please take a minute right now to go thank your parents for supporting your efforts in this competition. Second, do you know how many coaches, officials, Regional Directors, and even Event Supervisors commented warmly on Friday and Saturday about your success of getting to State in the first place? (I should have written them all down but I was soaking in the moments all day.) It is a wonderful thing to be known, welcomed, and esteemed but even more when it is your behavior and respect that has earned that honor. You have all carried yourselves with grace this entire season. You take your place in a long line of NVSO / LVSO alumni who have done the same to build up our reputation over more than a decade by making how we treat others our top priority. I am proud of you all for how you picked up this baton while forging your way with excellence in science into so many events. portcullis Well done indeed! Third, Team Finishing Rank: 12/25 Single A (36/50 Overall) Let me just put that in narrative form for you. Our team finished twelfth out of twenty-five Single A teams at State. We finished our season as the thirty-sixth ranked team out of the approximately one hundred thirty-three registered Division C teams in Illinois. You know there are a number of really strong Division C teams in Illinois but did you know we compete against them all the time? After the top two State finishing teams which we see at Invitationals (Stevenson and New Trier), the next five are either in our Region or from Naperville. Following them are 14 other suburban Chicago teams we also regularly see at Invitationals. It’s a very competitive field we are in. With a few exceptions, we beat most of the downstate teams and were two spots ahead of Rockford Auburn. We were directly ahead of AA ranked John Hersey High School, that team that tied in points for the lowest State bid at their Regional. Lane Tech College Prep, a very prestigious magnet school, finished 2 points (points, not ranks) ahead of us. 12/25 (36/50) while it may not sound very impressive, is in fact an accomplishment / milestone for us when you know the context. Fourth, Individual Finishing Ranks: This is impressive! Seriously, think about it. We earned seven medals at State!!!! There have been many years we didn’t earn seven medals at Regional. There were two Invitationals this year where we didn’t earn seven medals. Science Olympiad is about adding up individual efforts toward a team goal. Each event is important toward the team goal. Even those just out of medal range, the 6’s, 7’s, and 8’s, contribute positively to the team score and should be celebrated for earning those positions. In some cases these ranks can be separated from medal positions by as little as tenths or hundredths of a point. Check out the histograms at the of of this post to see how your efforts in your event compared to the whole pool. Here is the count of "Single A" medals. *2nd Place Mission Possible: Ray & Ben M. (2/17 Single A) (6/42 Overall) *2nd Place Protein Modelling: Avyi & John. (2/22 Single A) (8/47 Overall) *2nd Place Wright Stuff: Elijah & Ben M. (2/22 Single A) (12/47 Overall) *2nd Place Fermi Questions: Jeff & John. (2/24 Single A) (13/49 Overall) *4th Place WIDI: Elijah & Avyi. (4/25 Single A) (13/50 Overall) *5th Place Herpetology: Amber & Sarah. (5/24 Single A) (20/49 Overall) *5th Place Dynamic Planet: Avyi & Cody. (5/23 Single A) (22/48 Overall) ---and just out of medal range but still contributing positively to our team score--- 6th Place Circuit Lab: Ray & John. (6/23 Single A) (27/48 Overall) 7th Place Forensics: John & Amber. (7/24 Single A) (24/49 Overall) 8th Place Thermodynamics: Ben W. & Sarah. (8/23 Single A) (19/47 Overall) 8th Place A&P: Avyi & Sarah. (8/24 Single A) (24/49 Overall) 10th Place Mousetrap Vehicle: Jeff & Ray. (10/20 Single A) (30/43 Overall) 10th Place Water Quality: Elijah & Alissa. (10/21 Single A) (30/46 Overall) 12th Place Exp. Des.: Crystal, Ben M., & Alissa. (12/25 Single A) (35/50 Overall) 14th Place Disease Detectives: John & Sarah. (14/23 Single A) (37/48 Overall) 14th Place Fossils: Jeff & Amber. (14/24 Single A) (32/49 Overall) 14th Place Designer Genes: Sarah & Crystal. (14/25 Single A) (38/50 Overall) 15th Place Chem Lab: Jeff & Avyi. (15/22 Single A) (41/47 Overall) 18th Place Astronomy: Cody & Ben W. (18/24 Single A) (43/49 Overall) 19th Place Boomilever: Ben W. & Jeff. (19/23 Single A) (38/47 Overall) 19th Place Sounds of Music: Crystal & Cody. (19/21 Single A) (44/46 Overall) 20th Place Codebusters: Crystal, Elijah, & Ben M. (20/23 Single A) (46/48 Overall) 21st Place Geologic Mapping: Ben W. & Ben M. (21/23 Single A) (46/48 Overall) Third, next on the schedule for us is our end of the year party. Woo Hoo! It will be at the Hill home and there will be snacks (if you all bring some). I will also have certificates for each of you with all your accomplishments this year listed on them. (Those are the official record of the Regional and State academic awards you can include on your college applications.) Please watch your e-mail for more info about the party. We will need to change the previously posted date because I want ALL of you to attend. Finally, if I haven’t told you enough, I’m very proud of all that you accomplished this year. With dedicated work by a roster of strong students, you took the team further than it has ever gone before. Well done all indeed! Now let’s plan a party!!!! Blessings, Mrs. Guo
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Brenda G.Enjoying the journey through my kids' childhood as a home educating mom. (And no, I don't have time for a blog but sometimes you just gotta write.) Archives
April 2019
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