After two years of losing the first place title to their cross-town rivals from Hickman High School, the Gold team has captured the gold at Science Olympiad regionals in Rolla, Mo. Saturday, March 1.

The Green and Gold teams of RBHS, each with 15 members, competed against five other high schools from Mid-Missouri, with the Gold team placing first and the Green team placing fourth.

With23 events ranging from studying rocks and minerals to building a boomilever, Science Olympiad promotes science education by providing students with opportunities to ‘explore the world of science,’ as stated by Science Olympiad, Inc.

“I really feel that Science Olympiad benefits the students by allowing them an outlet for their passions,” RBHS coach Stephanie Harman said in an email interview. “With so many different events, students can really focus on the ones in which they are truly interested.”

Since all of the 23 events are done with a partner, Science Olympiad also provides a chance to practice communication and teamwork.

“Through Science Olympiad, I got to learn more about science topics not covered in school,” freshman Amy Gu said. “But the teamwork experience, in my opinion, was the most valuable.”

Now, RBHS will advance to state on Saturday, April 12 at the University of Missouri-Columbia. After the jubilant win, the team will embark on the road to preparing for state, which includes making some tough decisions.

“Since only one team per school is allowed to advance to the State competition, now comes the hard part – choosing only 15 of the 30 students for the state team,” Harman said. “That, however, is a great ‘problem’ to have and speaks to the level of both talent and preparation of our students.”

Nonetheless, the win was a welcome one.

“I’m super happy we got first place, which hasn’t happened in awhile,” senior Sam Ding said. “I’m really proud of both teams and I hope we can dominate at State.”

By Alice Yu