Berrien RESA is preparing to host its 2026 Annual Science Olympiad Competition on Friday, March 6 at Lake Michigan College.
RESA Student Talent Consultant Tonya Snyder tells us the Olympiad will feature teams from 14 middle and high schools, competing in a variety of challenges to display their technical prowess.
“There’ll be kind of just over between volunteers, students, parents that show up, coaches, close to 300 people will be in the building performing competitive science,” Snyder said. “So what that looks like can be anything from like a paper pencil type of test in a science field to a student building something at home with a certain level of specs that were given to them.”
Snyder says the challenges involve memorization, problem solving, writing, and communication, among other things. She gave us an example.
“One of them that is really kind of unique, and there is a science to it, it’s kind of a technical writing or a technical event called Write It, Do It. And so you would have students that are partnered up, and one student will go in and observe something. And then they will give written instructions that the next student will have to come in and put together that exact thing that the previous student saw in the exact way. Like, they’re recreating that. So that one’s kind of fun. So you kind of want students that have a little bit of telepathy or speak have a little bit of telepathy or speak exactly the same language.”
Another fun challenge is Science Crime Busters and Forensics.
“So students are using clues around them and some of the elements of chemistry, just visual observations, all of those kinds of things, to help solve a crime.”
The participating schools each form their own Science Olympiad teams who train all year for the big day. Snyder says it’s inspiring to see the talent being displayed by all of these young people.
“It’s an academic competition. So that always is to be celebrated. Students are coming together, they’re studying in advance those STEM fields and they’re coming out and they’re celebrated for what they were able to retain, for what they were able to create.”
Snyder says it takes dozens of volunteers to stage the Science Olympiad each year, all of them committed to helping students reach their full potential.
“They represent all types of organizations here in our community. Technical organizations, as well as educational organizations. Sometimes it’s just retired volunteers or retired educators that are just like, ‘I gotta keep going with this. I love this day.’ So I really always like to recognize their efforts in helping create a really amazing day for the students of Berrien County.”
The event is regional competition, and the winners will advance to the state competition at Michigan State University later this spring. The competition will run from 9:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. with the winners announced and an awards ceremony at 2:45 p.m.
Participating Schools include:
Berrien Springs Middle and High schools
Buchanan Middle and High Schools
Lakeshore Middle and High schools
Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School
River Valley Middle School
Trinity Lutheran Schools
Upton Middle School and St. Joseph High School
Watervliet Middle and High Schools