Albuquerque Academy Sweeps State Science Olympiad

by George Zamora

SOCORRO, N.M. February 22, 2003 -- The Albuquerque Academy made a clean sweep of it at 17th annual New Mexico Science Olympiad, winning both the high school and middle school divisions of the statewide academic competition, which was held today on the New Mexico Tech campus.

Socorro High School placed second overall in the high school division; while Deming's Hofacket Middle School garnered second place in the middle school division.

In addition to the first-place trophies and numerous medals the science champions amassed, the two teams from the Albuquerque Academy also won rights to represent New Mexico at the National Science Olympiad on May 10 at Ohio State University in Columbus.

Nearly 800 student "intelletes" representing 23 middle schools and 29 high schools from throughout New Mexico gathered
on the university campus in Socorro to compete in 44 spirited mental workouts, all of which required massive amounts of brain power, motor skills, teamwork, and imagination . . . not to mention months of planning, practice, and fine-tuning.

During the daylong event, teams of Science Olympians dropped raw eggs from tall buildings, launched rockets powered by compressed air and water, built Rube Goldberg contraptions, and constructed efficient boomilevers, bridges, and robots in a quest for Olympic-style medals and the chance to represent the state at the national competition.

How teams fared in each event at this year's Science Olympiad. ("C" division signifies high school teams; while "B" division signifies middle school teams.)

Division C:
1) Albuquerque Academy (416 points)
2) Socorro High School (374 points)
3) Deming High School (344 points)
4) Cloudcroft High School (342 points)
5) Roswell High School (328 points)

Division B:
1) Albuquerque Academy (464 points)
2) Hofacket Middle School (429 points)
3) Wilson Middle School (393 points)
4) Kirtland Middle School (327 points)
5) Mesa Middle School (323 points)