By By RANDI K. PICKLEY / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Over 550 high school, middle school and elementary teams competed at the Science Olympiad Regional competitions during February and March. 96 advancing regional teams will be competing in the 23rd Michigan State Finals on Saturday, April 30, on the Michigan State University campus. Forty-eight teams come from junior high or high schools, and 48 teams represent high schools.
Over 40 event competitions will be held in various locations of the MSU campus. There will be soaring bottle rockets, robots rambling around, and a variety of events in between.
Team shirts, coaches, medals and trophies are all a part of the discovery hoopla. State Champion teams will go on to the National Science Olympiad Tournament at the University of Illinois, Champaign, Urbana, Ill. on May 20 and 21.
Niles High School is returning after a one-year absence.
The sophomore students competing in this year's competition are Heather Croteau and Alexis Tittle. Juniors are Jeremy Croteau, Jonathon Poole, Colin Smith, Matthew Smith, and John van der Linden and seniors are Collin Aycock, Mariam Eskander, Christine Hadley, Jeremy Ockerman, Steve Shane, and Lesley Simonton.
Parents helped prepare food for the trip and also helped chaperone the group of enthusiastic students. Bob Croteau and Mark Smith were drivers for the two vans that transported the students to East Lansing.
Just before leaving on the trip, other members of the science class who were remaining in Niles came to say goodbye and wish them well.
These young people, their coaches and teachers represent a strong dedication to science education and have worked hard all year to meet the competition of their peers and win.