GORE BAY—Charles C. McLean Public School Grade 7 and 8 students in Gore Bay placed third in the Math, Science and Technology Olympics held at Science North in Sudbury on Thursday, April 21.
The C.C. McLean team took third place overall. Members of the C.C. McLean team included Amber Wiwchar, Nicole Shank, Kyle Wood, Nick Purvis and coach and teacher Apryl Mayer.
“Congratulations to all those who participated in the math, science and technology Olympics,” said Norm Blaseg, Director of Education for Rainbow District School Board (RDSB). “This challenge has become an annual tradition for the board, where students apply knowledge learned in the classroom in a fun and exciting way.”
“I commend all teachers for their hard work in organizing the event and preparing students for the challenges,” said Mr. Blaseg. “I also thank Science North for being our partners in education.”
The day began with a race to answer science and math related questions posted throughout Science North. Students then tackled the math component, where students tested their collaborative problem solving and higher-order thinking skills including analysis, evaluation and synthesis. The final task involved students designing and developing structures to carry out specific tasks. The overall winners earned the most points in all three challenges.
“One of the components was for each team to engineer a tower, the tallest possible, to support a plastic cup of water, using limited materials, for a minimum of 15 seconds” said Ms. Mayer. The students were able to use scissors, tape, popsicle sticks, paper, straws and one cup.
“The students had to work as a team all day, and focus as a team which is great for the students,” said Ms. Mayer. “Our team was amazing, they did a great job and were a lively, energetic bunch.”
