VASJ students compete in Science Olympiad competitions

VASJ’s Science Olympiad team completed its inaugural season on Sat. Feb. 20 at the regional competition at Case Western Reserve University.

Science Olympiad combines competitive events in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and provides students with an active, hands-on way to learn and grow these skills.

“The Science Olympiad provides students involved with the opportunity to further their love for science in a fun, competitive environment,” says VASJ Principal David Csank .

Science Olympiad teams function much like an athletic team, requiring preparation, commitment, coaching and practice throughout the year in order to compete against other schools at invitational, regional, state, and national competitions.

Prior to this year, VASJ didn’t have a teacher with Science Olympiad experience to lead a team.

That all changed when Lucy Kulbago came to VASJ as new science teacher at the beginning of this year.

“Mrs. Kulbago had mentioned in her interview that she had experience with the Science Olympiad and that she would love to bring it here to VASJ,” says Csank . “It's always wonderful when teachers take the initiative to start new programs and expose our students to new ideas and new groups.”

Kulbago has seen the benefits a Science Olympiad program brings to a school and was eager to start a team at VASJ.

“I have been a middle school Science Olympiad coach for 10 years and find this program to be very beneficial for the students,” Kulbago says.“I have also done research on this program while in the Science Education Program at Kent State and have documented the many benefits to students in the program.

“Students are exposed to a wide range of science fields not commonly covered in the standard science curriculum,” says Kulbago. “Additionally, it inspires a passion for science which leads to majoring in science and pursuing science-related careers.”

As soon as the school year began, Kulbago began recruiting students to put VASJ’s first Science Olympiad team into place.

Among the first students to join were senior twins Alex and Louis Vertosnik.

“I’ve always been interested in science and it’s fun to learn more and compete against other people who also have a love for science,” says Louis.

The competitions are best described as academic track meets, consisting of a variety of subjects and events in which students can compete. Students choose events based on their personal interests.

“You don’t get to do that very often. There aren’t too many opportunities to be involved in scholastic competition,” Louis says.

Another important component of Science Olympiad is teamwork. Most scientific careers require a great deal of teamwork. Science Olympiad encourages team members to work together, combining their individual skillsets and talents for a common goal.

VASJ’s Science Olympiad team was comprised of Alex and Louis Vertosnik, Valentina Slechticovas, Victoria Francetic, Eleanor Boru, Patrick Bradford, and Anna Radachy, and coached by science teachers Lucy Kulbago and Mike Ferrini.

VASJ’s Science Olympiad team competed in several events and gained valuable experience in the program’s first year at VASJ. This year’s achievements are sure to lead to even greater success next year and plans are already underway to grow the program.

“I am very excited for this new venture and am grateful to Mrs. Kulbago for her leadership,” says Principal Csank .

The Science Olympiad team was a great addition to VASJ’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program and provided students with another opportunity to learn and grow.

“You can always learn more,” says Vertosnik. “The more we learn, the better we are as humans, in my opinion.”