NRMS reclaims science championship

Competing against top national and Ohio Science Olympiad teams in two prestigious invitational meets in preparation for the regional and state competition paid off for New Richmond Middle School which won its second  Science Olympiad Cincinnati Regional championship in three years March 1 at at UC Blue Ash College.

NRMS Team Black finished with a record low score of 60 and with students medaling in every event, another record.  NRMS Team Red finished in fifth place in the 16-team competition which included teams from Mason, Wyoming, Ross, Loveland, Kings, Twin Valley, National Trail and along with 5 private schools including Summit Country Day.

The 2014 New Richmond Middle School Science Olympiad team won its second Cincinnati Regional Championship in three years March 1 with a record low score of 60 points and a record of medals in all 23 events.

“We have worked harder and practiced more than ever and it has paid off,” said Science Olympiad coach Josh Grischow. “Getting more experience with two invitational meets (Wright State University and Centerville’s Maysig) really helped with making the kids comfortable for this competition."

The results of those tournaments also allowed Grischow and his assistants (New Richmond Middle School science department teachers Pam Hughes, Tina Grippa and Doug Smiddy) to figure out their best 15 students regardless of grade level to place on the same team.

“We had several kids practice late on Friday, then perform in the school musical, wake up early on Saturday, compete with us all day, and then go back to perform in the musical Saturday night,” noted Grischow.  “We had one girl compete with us, play in a soccer game, and come back for the awards ceremony, picking up a first place medal in the process.  It's a privilege to have such multi-talented kids.”

Teams competed individually or in groups in a series of 23 events which tested their knowledge of science skills, processes, and applications in a wide range of science disciplines including biology, chemistry, physics, technology, earth science, and mathematics.

 NRMS Team Black finished first in seven events,  second in six events and had no finish higher than fifth in the 23 events in winning the championship by 28 points over second place Mason Middle School.

NRMS Team Red had one first place and finished 9^th or better in 22 of the 23 events and finished 5^th overall.

PPG Industries gave a $1,000 grant to help defray team costs.

The New Richmond Middle School Science Olympiad team advances to the Ohio state finals at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio on April 26, 2014 where 40 middle school and 40 senior high school teams will compete. 

"We are now used to qualifying for the state tournament, but we haven't cracked the top 20 after three straight years," said Grischow.  "Our goal is to work even harder and start becoming a threat state-wide."

NRMS Medal winners:

Experimental Design: 1^st place Rachel Coons, Rachel Gastrich and McKenzie Miller, 5^th place Cheyenne Young, Max Ernst, and Kelly Schmidt

Meteorology: 1^st place Elise Bezold and Archer Maguire.
Metric Mastery: 1^st place Jacob Noble and Rachel Gastrich, 2^nd place Kaleigh Pratt and Derick Henderson.

Robo-Cross: 1^st place Teddy Mansfield and Luke Smiddy.

Simple Machines: 1^st place Liz Shinkle and Kaleigh Pratt, 2^nd place Rachel Gastrich and Jacob Noble.

Solar System: 1^st place Teddy Mansfield and Joey Hammill, 6^th place Madeline Walls and Bryce Kellerman.

Wheeled Vehicle: 1^st place Nick Swisher and Joshua Biren.

Write It, Do It: 1^st place Luke Smiddy and Natalie Holdsworth.

Helicopter: 2^nd place Quincy Ipsaro and McKenzie Miller, 5^th place Alissa Brumbaugh and Max Ernst.
Disease Detectives: 2^nd place Elise Bezold and Quincy Ipsaro.

Rotor Egg Drop: 2^nd place Joshua Biren and Nick Swisher.

Sounds of Music: 2^nd place McKenzie Miller and Quincy Ipsaro.

Anatomy: 3^rd place Katie Huss and McKenzie Miller, 5^th place Jordyn Torrens and Madeline Walls.

Boomilever: 4^th place Joey Hammill and Teddy Mansfield

Can’t Judge a Powder: 3^rd place Elise Bezold and Jacob Noble, 6^th place Alissa Brumbaugh and Kaleigh Pratt.
Road Scholar: 3^rd place Jordyn Torrens and Liz Shinkle, 4^th place Natalie Holdsworth and Archer Maguire.

Water Quality: 3^rd place Rachel Coons and Katie Huss.

Dynamic Planet: 4^th place Joey Hammill and Teddy Mansfield, 6^th place Cheyenne Young and Sebastian Johnson.

Entomology: 4^th place Archer Maguire and Travis Justice.

Rocks and Minerals: 4^th place Katie Huss and Natalie Holdsworth.

Shock Value: 5^th place Joshua Biren and Nick Swisher.

Crime Busters: 5^th place Rachel Coons and Travis Justice.

Heredity: 5^th place Luke Smiddy and Travis Justice, 4^th place Jordyn Torrens and Max Ernst.

Team Black MVP was Rachel Gastrich.  Team Red MVP was Kaleigh Pratt.

Cincinnati Regional Science Olympiad Results	Score	RANK
New Richmond Middle School *	60	1
Mason Middle School *	88	2
Mason Middle School *	100	3
Wyoming Middle School *	134	4
New Richmond Middle School *	144	5
Ross Middle School	147	6
Loveland Middle School	154	7
St. Aloysius Gonzaga	171	8
Summit Country Day	173	9
St. Mark's Lutheran	182	10
Twin Valley South Middle School	217	11
Immaculate Conception Academy	223	12
National Trail Middle School	323	13
Wyoming Middle School *	334	14
St James of the Valley	345	15
Kings Jr. High School	363	16