The GCHS Science Olympiad team finished 16th among 31 teams and was the top-ranked 2A Region team at the state finals held at the University of Utah earlier this month. This year marks the fifth season of competition for Grand’s Science Olympiad team.

The competition is divided into two categories: tests, which two partners work on together and complete some physical demonstration or experiment, and labs or building projects, which can have more participants.

In the testing division, GCHS juniors Deanna Irvine and Jasmine Swink placed 10th in Remote Sensing, while freshman Annie Heywood and sophomore Rebecca Minor took sixth-place in Rocks and Minerals. In the lab events, juniors Nat Smith and Alex Sorensen placed sixth in Chemistry Lab, and Smith and junior Jacob Francis placed ninth in Technical Problem Solving. In the Experimental Design category, Smith, Francis, and freshman Cody Jones placed eighth overall.

Adviser Laura Reed said that despite the fierce competition from larger schools at the event, Grand’s team members still held their own. Davis, a 5A school, took home the top honors, followed by several college-preparatory schools, including the Utah County Academy of Science, all of which were much larger than Grand.

“I think we’re going to work even harder and shoot for top 10 next year,” said Reed.

Reed extended an open invitation to any students wishing to participate in Science Olympiad in future years. Winning students in each event are awarded cash scholarships, and the top three competitors at the competition are awarded full scholarships to various Utah schools, including Westminster College and the University of Utah.

“We are open to all students, freshmen through senior years. They’re more than welcome, and we’ll be starting up next year in October to get ready for state. Once again, we’d just like to say that everyone is welcome to join.”