Dear Tim,
WOW! I am always amazed by the team of people that unite together each spring to make the Indiana Science Olympiad tournament such a resounding success. Indiana University and Indiana Science Olympiad are so very thankful to you for your dedication to teaching, molding, and encouraging K-12 science students. I know I can always count on you to provide a grade level appropriate and challenging competition! Please pass along my sincerest thanks to the Experimental Aircraft Association Ch. 650 for their help as well!
I want to share with you some very impressive numbers.
· 2,211 – total attendance at the Awards Ceremony (note three schools had to leave before the awards ceremony due to spring break trips, football, etc.)
· 1080 – Official Science Olympiad Competitors (middle & high school students)
· 800 – Additional middle & high school students in attendance to observe & help their teams
· 222 – Volunteer from all across Indiana
· 531 – Parents, teachers, school administrators, and bus drivers
· 72 – Schools
· 42 – Cities represented
· 575 – total individual Olympic-style medals awarded (1st-5th place)
· 10 – trophies awarded (top 5 schools in each division)
Experiencing our campus through the Science Olympiad lens is priceless. These students have already developed a love of science. You are helping us expose them to Science at IU. For some this was their first time stepping foot in a chemistry, physics or a biology laboratory and their first time interacting with faculty, research scientists, and graduate & undergraduate students. You and volunteers like you are the key to our success!!
I do hope the time you expended prior to and on tournament day was fun and rewarding. I have received many thank you notes from coaches and parents who have commented on the fun, challenging and fair events at the tournament and how smoothly things ran. You should be very proud for the part you played in providing such a rewarding experience to these young students! I cannot stress enough how valuable your time and expertise are to me, the students, and all involved in the Science Olympiad State Tournament.
Coach & Parent Comments:
““Thank you for all your hard work in putting on the tournament. Last week was my 9th State Tournament as a Science Olympiad parent, and I continue to be amazed at the dedication of the staff and volunteers and at the enthusiasm of the students. I feel hopeful about the future every time I see the Auditorium full of kids geeking out on science. “ – Dana Cattani, Parent & Faculty member Kelley School of Business
“I just wanted to thank you and your team for a well done and enjoyable event yesterday. It's my first year as a coach so having everything run so smoothly made it a much easier day for me. Most importantly, the kids had a great day! I'm looking forward to next year. --Kerri Donohue, Coach, BHSN
“Thank you for all you do for our kids. They had a terrific experience and will carry those memories with them for a lifetime. --Martha Bowman, Coach, Tri-North Middle School
Thomas Jefferson Middle School and Carmel High School will be the teams representing Indiana at the National Tournament in Wisconsin next month. Based on their performances at the state tournament I am confident that they will come home with many National medals! Kudos to you and all our event supervisors for helping prepare Indiana students for Nationals!!
On behalf of Indiana University, College of Arts & Sciences, and the Science Outreach Office we applaud your commitment to science education and I hope I will have the pleasure of working with you again in the future.
Congratulations again on making the 2016 tournament a huge success...we absolutely couldn't do it without you!
Warmest regards,
Tina
Tina Gilliland
Outreach Liaison
Indiana University
College of Arts & Sciences
1600 East Third Street
Bloomington, IN 47401
