Westlake Schools Science Olympiad teams kicks off 2023-24 season

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On Dec. 9, 2023, Westlake's Lee Burneson Middle School Science Olympiad team competed in their first invitational of the 2023-2024 school year. The team traveled to Sylvania, Ohio, to compete against 43 teams from Ohio and surrounding states. 

The overall team rankings for the three Westlake teams were 11th, 15th and 28th. The teams ranked sixth or higher in five different events.

This successful showing follows the Westlake High School Science Olympiad teams placing 18th and 39th out of the 54 teams competing in the Northview Tournament on Dec. 2. Like their middle school counterparts, the Westlake High School team finished in the top six in five different events.

Science Olympiad competitions are like academic track meets, consisting of a series of 23 team events in each division (Division B is middle school; Division C is high school). Each year, a portion of the events are rotated to reflect the ever-changing nature of genetics, earth science, chemistry, anatomy, physics, geology, mechanical engineering and technology.

By combining events from all disciplines, Science Olympiad encourages a wide cross-section of students to get involved in science related competitions. 

This is the 16th consecutive year that Westlake has fielded both Division B and Division C Science Olympiad teams. Last year, the teams ranked 6th (Division B) and 8th (Division C) at the Ohio Science Olympiad state tournament out of 213 teams in each division.

This year’s teams are led by Coaches Gabriela Shepard and Laura Lathem, faculty in the Westlake City School District.

Good luck to both divisions moving forward and Go Demons!