St. Francis Xavier science team competes nationally

By Sylvia L. White, The Catholic Sun
April 19, 2007

After winning the state competition, St. Francis Xavier School’s Science Olympiad is headed for the national contest May 19 in Wichita, Kan.

The team overcame other Arizona schools March 24 at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

“This is the fifth time that our school has won the statewide competition that is designed to gauge how our students stack up against national science standards for their age group,” said Cindy Fernandez, one of the team’s coaches.

St. Francis Xavier’s team took statewide honors in 2000. The program is open to students in the sixth- through eighth-grades. 

Ten volunteers logged more than 4,000 hours to prepare students for the competition. St. Francis is one of only two Catholic schools in Arizona that participate in the program. The other is Our Mother of Sorrows in Tucson.

“We do it for the love of doing it, watching the kids learn and seeing how well they do,” Fernandez said.

“They do things step by step and they get it,” she added. “They are not afraid to try and fail, then try again.”

The Science Olympiad is an international nonprofit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science and providing recognition for achievement in science education.

The competition at the regional, state and national level consists of a daylong series of 23 events that require students to have knowledge of science concepts, process skills and science applications.

Taylor Kelly, eighth-grader and part of the winning team at St. Francis Xavier, said she has been interested in the Science Olympiad for years. She is competing in oceanography, meteorology and epidemiology.

Alex Cole is competing in the entomology and simple machines categories. Like Kelly, she has been participating since sixth grade and feels the Science Olympiad has given her a head start for future studies at Xavier College Preparatory.

“I have to study and focus a lot more,” Cole said. “The tests are a lot more complicated than regular school.”

So far, the team has raised $10,000 toward their $30,000 requirement for travel expenses and continues to seek donations.

The St. Francis Xavier team washed cars April 15 during the Sunday morning Masses. On April 22, the team will hold a bake sale.

To donate to St. Francis Xavier’s team or learn more about the Science Olympiad competition, call Tamara Bohannon at (602) 212-4563.