POPLARVILLE – With shattering bridges and soaring gliders, middle and high school students competed Saturday, Feb. 21, at Pearl River Community College to advance to the Science Olympiad state competition.
About 300 students from schools throughout South Mississippi competed in a variety of disciplines, including earth and space science, physical science and chemistry, technology and engineering and inquiry and the nature of science.
Team winners in the high school division of the Mississippi Gulf South Regional Science Olympiad were Oak Grove High School, first; West Jones High School, second; and Pearl River Central High School, third. Middle school winners were St. Patrick Catholic High School in Biloxi, first; North Woolmarket Middle School, second; and Pearl River Central Middle School, third. They will compete at the state level on March 27 at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Also advancing to high school state competition are teams from d’Iberville High School, St. Patrick Catholic High School and West Harrison High School. Moving on to middle school state competition are teams from Petal Middle School, Seminary Middle School, Petal Upper Elementary and Stone Middle School.
Nine middle school teams and 11 high school teams took part.
Petal Middle School seventh graders Joshua Cary, left, and Koby Graham watch as their vehicle navigates around an obstacle during the 2015 Mississippi Gulf South Regional Science Olympiad held Feb. 21 at Pearl River Community College. Their team advances to state competition.
Windfield Swetman, a middle school student at St. Patrick Catholic High School in Biloxi , gets set to release an elastic_launched glider during Mississippi Gulf South Science Olympiad competition Feb. 21 at Pearl River Community College. Looking on is teammate Amelle Millin. Their team advances to state competition after placing first in the middle school division.
Hunter Davis, left, steadies a bucket suspended from a wooden bridge while teammate Tyler Hartman pours sand into the bucket to test the strength of the bridge. The Pearl River Central High School sophomores competed Saturday, Feb. 21, in the 2015 Mississippi Gulf South Regional Science Olympiad held at Pearl River Community College. Their bridge did not break when it was holding all the available sand with a weight of 15.3 kilograms. The Pearl River Central team placed third in the high school division and advances to state competition.