Strong finishes for county scientists

Results from the 2018 Montana Science Olympiad competition are out and students from Sanders County performed well. Noxon and Thompson Falls students attended the event at Montana State University just before the Thanksgiving holiday break and had some tough competition. Many schools throughout the state spend the entire year preparing for the Olympiad.

Locally, Noxon and Thompson Falls have a shortened preparation window, in comparison to their rivalry, of only a month or two before the competition. This is due to lack of staff, volunteers, finances, population and other factors notable in small communities. Taking everything into account, the students performed well and more importantly, they had fun doing it.

For Division C, the high school level, Noxon placed 43rd with a total of 574 points. Anatomy and Physiology competitors Michael Antonich and Kali Murray took 48th, as did Boomilever competitor Jared Webley. Wright Stuff's Jaedyn Murray took 37th place, while Write It Do It participants Shelby Lackner and Frida Rivera took number 33. Placing in the top positions for Noxon High School was Mousetrap Vehicle contestants Levi Brubaker and Edison VanVleet claiming 26th and Michael Antonich placing 24th in Water Quality, according to Noxon teacher Jared VanVleet.

Thompson Falls High School topped off in 14th place with a total of 267 points. Anatomy and Physiology participants Daniel Ryan and Megan Baxter finished off in 25th, in 23rd were Experimental Design contestants Josey Neesvig, Nathan Burwig and Ethan Brown; Neesvig and Burwig also placed 22nd in Geologic Mapping. Dynamic Planet: Glacier performed by Marc Boyd and Jolia Buchanan placed 20th. Megan Baxter and Marc Boyd placed 17th in Sounds of Music. In 13th was Wright Stuff's Justin Morgan. Both placing 12th were Mousetrap Vehicle's Sierra Hanks and Nick Viera, and Daniel Ryan with Thermodynamics. In the top 10 were Boomilever's Ben Croft and Jolia Buchanan in 10th, Write It Do It's Nick Viera and Cooper Cable in sixth as was Mission Possible's Nathan Ostwald and Ethan Brown, and to top off the competition was a fifth-place finish by Cooper Cable and Ben Croft in Water Quality.

For Division B, junior high age category, Noxon rounded out in 43rd place with 583 points. Megan Ehinger and Vanessa Horner took first place in Crime Busters, Roller Coasters' Vanessa Horner and Gabby Stough placed 13th overall, Martha Klaus and David Ehinger placed 30th in Fossils, and in 33rd place was Write It Do It's Cade VanVleet and Laurel Miller. Finishing up in 49th place was Elastic Launch Glider's Nathan Cano, Experimental Design participants Andy Koonce and Cade VanVleet, and Heredity's Gabby Stough and Laurel Miller.

Thompson Falls' junior high placed 32rd overall with 473 points. Roller Coaster competitors Mackenzie Robinson and Olivia Harnett took eighth place, 17th went to Fossils' Kael Brown, 22nd to Boomilever's Kael Brown and Trinity Riffle, Write It Do It participants Braedon Ferris and Mace Jacobson placed 23rd (also placed 48th in Battery Buggy), Ellie Baxter and Hattie Neesvig placed 26th in both Heredity and Elastic Launch Glider, in 32nd was Alex Olesen and Sydnee Wilson with Water Quality, 34th place was Disease Detective's Olivia Harnett and Bella Buchanan, and Crimebusters' Kael Brown and Mackenzie Robinson placed 41st.

The top three school finishers, in order of placement, were Hamilton High School, Corvallis High School and Helena High School for Division C and Hamilton Middle School, Corvallis Middle School, and placing third was Clancy Middle School in Division B competition. Full competition results can be viewed at http://www.montana.edu/ehhd/smrc/mtso/index.html.