03/18/2024
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On March 21, 2015, members of Harrells Christian Academy’s Science Olympiad teams brought home some precious metals.

Competing in numerous competitions, the Crusaders came away with numerous wins following the regional competition at Lenoir Community College in Kinston, NC.  Twenty-three high school students and six middle school students competed in various areas of competition.  HCA competes yearly in Divisions B and C (Middle and High School).

HCA students placed first in six separate competitions. Those who placed first overall in their competitions will go on to the state competition on April 25, at North Carolina State University.

Faculty member Dee Cannady is the sponsor for the group and she works year round with students to help them prepare for the competitions held in March every year.  This is the school’s sixth year of Science Olympiad.

Reflecting on the team’s success and future, Cannady stated, “I hear more and more students express an interest in the competition.  The middle school level is generating a lot of interest.   I’m hoping that we may be able to get an elementary team someday.”

Cannady also added that she would like to involve more professionals in preparation for the events.  “I envision an engineer helping some students design a bridge using a CAD program, testing the bridge, determining the weak spots and then  improving their design,” she said.  Along with using professionals from different scientific backgrounds, she also envisions possible uses of more recent technologies, such as 3-D printing, to expose students to the future of science field.

Overall, HCA’s middle schoolers placed 10th out of 19 teams.  The Upper school students placed 8th out of 19 teams overall.

Harrells Christian Academy places high importance on scientific learning.  The upper school building boasts two state-of-the-art science labs.  Every middle schooler takes science classes yearly, with lab work emphasized weekly.  Also, students from grades K-5 all enjoy hands-on experience in the lower school science lab each week.

HCA Middle school winners included: Seth Harrell and Stancil Bowles – 5th place Bridge Building; Seth Harrell and MacKenzie Odum – 3rd place Experimental Design; Mason Coffee and Will DeAndrade – 5th place Meteorology; and MacKenzie Odum and Seth Harrell – 3rd place Solar system.

Upper School winners included:  Garrett Carr and Holden Quinn – 3rd place Air Trajectory; Jordan Trivette and Yossy Funes – 2nd place Bridge Building; Spencer Cooke and Will Huff – 1st place Compound Machines; Max Prestage and Garrett Carr – 4th place Crave the Wave; Natalie Hardin and Spencer Cooke – 4th place Duct Tape Challenge;  Caroline Jones – 1st Place Disease Detectives; Amos Lanier and Billy Prestage – 1st place Egg-O-Naut; Jordan Trivette and Lauren Trivette – 5th place Egg-O-Naut; Madison Sauls and Mikaela Stroud – 1st place Entomology; Will Huff and Ross Barnes – 4th place Mission Impossible; Natalie Hardin and Davis Jones – 1st place Scrambler; and Chance Bryant and Haley Bowles – 1st place Write It Do It.

Pictured above are the science olympiad members:

Front row: Will deAndrade, Josh Barber, Mary Grace Norris, Caroline Jones, Rachel Bland, Jordan Trivette; 2nd row: Mason Coffee, Haley Bowles, Natalie Hardin; 3rd row: Ross Barnes, Lauren Trivette, Billy Prestage, McKenzie Parks, Chance Bryant, Madison Sauls; 4th row: Stancil Bowles, Max Prestage, Holden Quinn, Abigail Blanchard, Mikaela Stroud, Amos Lanier; back row: Christian McLaughlin, Garrett Carr, Davis Jones, Spencer Cooke, Will Huff.

If you or someone you know is interested in the offerings at HCA or if you are a professional that would like to give back by helping students learn more about your field, please contact HCA at 910-532-4575.

 

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