Making science fun: Sycamore Middle School Science Olympiad sparks a love of learning

SYCAMORE – Justin Hames thinks science fairs are boring.

That’s why instead of having a science fair, Sycamore Middle School holds a Science Olympiad that’s free, educational and fun for the community to attend. This year’s event – the 35th annual – was held March 17.

Justin Hames, science department chair, said hosting a Science Olympiad has two purposes.

“It’s all about two things: fun together as a community and sharing a love of learning,” Hames said. “Science should be fun. If it isn’t, you’re not doing it right.”

Eighth-grade science teacher Liz Peterson said she hopes the event brings back a childlike sense of wonder in all ages.

“In childhood, you have a spark that occurs naturally when learning,” Peterson said. “We want to make science fun by introducing it with fire, chemistry, reactions and explosions. There’s something everyone can learn, with demonstrations, hands-on experiments and displays. It’s also about learning through mistakes, because from failure comes success.”

The Science Olympiad featured hands-on activities provided by both outside partners and middle school groups. Exploration labs included 10 Northern Illinois University STEM labs, a soil tunnel and agricultural science labs provided by the DeKalb County Farm Bureau, Spheros robot painting, a flight simulator provided by Kishwaukee Education Consortium, a Van de Graaff generator, science bowl trivia, a themed photo booth and more.

During the event, Sycamore Middle School students had the opportunity to win medals during grade-specific STEM-based competitions. Sixth-graders competed in balloon car races and catapults, seventh-graders competed in float-a-boat and Go for the Ozone and eighth-graders competed in an egg drop and Marble Mayhem.

“Very little of the Science Olympiad has to do with grades,” Hames said. “The students chose to do a lot of the presentations and competitions themselves. They were brave enough to try new things.”

Andy Walzer of Thermo Fisher Scientific led two science demonstrations featuring fire, explosions and tennis ball cannons.

Other exhibits and activities that took place throughout the night included a book fair, “35 Years of Science” history display and a STEAM art gallery.

Katie Peska, who works at the middle school, attended the event with her three children: 13-year-old Julia, 11-year-old Brady, and 9-year-old Tyler.

“I like that there’s a variety of hands-on activities,” Peska said. “There’s activities, demonstrations and lots to do. It’s almost like [Northern Illinois University’s] STEMFest, but smaller and held at Sycamore Middle School.”

Kindergartener Oliver Holbert hopes to one day work in a science field. He hasn’t decided if he wants to be a scientist, veterinarian or a zoologist. His mom, Julia Holbert, said the event was educational for both of them.

“I think he’s more inspired to learn about science than he ever was before,” Julia Holbert said. “He’s just having fun, not even realizing that he’s learning.”

Friends Alexis Merryman and Emma Force, both seventh-grade students at the middle school, said the Science Olympiad was a lot of fun.

“It’s fun going wherever you want in the school and seeing a lot of different types of science,” Merryman said. “It’s fun to hang out with your friends. We’ve learned a lot. I never knew that there’s so many different types of science and that it can be so much fun.”