SIDNEY — The Lehman Catholic High School Science Olympiad team competed at the Southwest Regional Science Olympiad held recently at Piqua High School, winning 10 medals and missing a 12th straight berth in the state competition by four points. Lehman placed seventh at the regional behind teams from Centerville, Alter, Northmont, and Fort Loramie High Schools. A total of 16 teams were at the Piqua regional competition.
In Science Olympiad, students on each team compete individually or in groups in a series of 23 events that test their knowledge of science skills, processes, and applications in a wide range of disciplines including biology, chemistry, physics, technology, earth science, and mathematics. All schools compete together without divisions based on school size as in athletics. Lehman is usually one of the smallest schools at every contest.
Lehman medalists were led by senior Claudia Fatone who placed 2nd in Write It Do It with fellow senior Cassidy Hemm, and second in Forensics with senior Olivia Leece. Juniors Jacob Schmiesing and Kaitrin O’Leary received two medals by placing third in Dynamic Planet and fourth in Geologic Mapping. Schmiesing took a third medal by placing third in Green Generation with sophomore Melanie Brunner.
Other Lehman students receiving medals were freshman David Potts and senior Michael Largent, fourth in Wind Power; seniors Olivia Leece and Sara Fuller, fifth in Anatomy and Physiology; Fuller and senior Cassidy Hemm, 6th in Bridge; Largent and his freshman brother Nicholas, sixth in Electric Vehicle; and junior Megan Neumeier and sophomore Theresa Flood, sixth in Disease Detectives.
Just short of medals but placing in the top half of the field were Flood and Neumeier, seventh in It’s About Time; Flood and Schmiesing, seventh in Hydrogeology; Leece, O’Leary, and Joe Schemmel, seventh in Experimental Design; and Schemmel and Joe Ritze, 8th in Fossils.
The team has been training since October and participated in two invitationals before the regional competition. Only 15 students are permitted to compete at regionals, but several others attended as alternates to watch and learn. This year’s team members included seniors Michelle Duritsch, Claudia Fatone, Sara Fuller, Cassidy Hemm, Michael Largent, Olivia Leece, and Emily Reinhart; juniors Kate Hemm, Megan Neumeier, Kaitrin O’Leary, Joe Schemmel, and Jacob Schmiesing; sophomores Melanie Brunner, Theresa Flood, Ryan Goettemoeller, Michael Wesner, and Hailey Wick; and freshmen Tiffany Behr, Grace Brandt, Sarah Gibson, Alex Gleason, Madison Heffelfinger, Nicholas Largent, Grace Monnin, Conor O’Leary, David Potts, Joe Ritze, and Aaron Topp. Strong juniors and the large turnout of freshmen and sophomores on this year’s team bodes well for a return trip to state in 2017.
The faculty coach and coordinator of the Lehman team is Science Department Chair Sister Ginny Scherer. Other Lehman science teachers involved in coaching the team are Tracy Hall and Leah Bertke. Volunteers from the Lehman community who help coach the team for regionals were Jim Hemm, Gary Schultz, and Kim and Steve Wenning.
This year’s team is being funded through a Copeland Educational Grant from Emerson Climate Technologies, and additional grants from the Miami County Piqua Community Foundation and the Sidney/Shelby County Foundation.
