CAMBRIDGE — Students from Mace’s Lane Middle School practiced since October to prepare for the Central Maryland Regional Science Olympiad Competition. The Science Olympiad team competed in a variety of events in the areas of genetics, earth science, forensics, chemistry, anatomy, physics, geology, mechanical engineering, and technology. All events are written at a college level both in content and text complexity.

Each of the events of the Science Olympiad competition falls under three main categories: Science Concepts and Knowledge, Science Processes and Thinking Skills, and Science Application and Technology. As the website shares, “The Maryland Science Olympiad is a ‘hands-on’ K-12 science program including rigorous academic interscholastic tournaments. Scientists and engineers from Maryland corporations, organizations, and universities collaborate with K-12 science teachers to oversee the 46 teamwork oriented tournament events. In order to compete, the Mace’s Lane team practiced anywhere from 4 to 6 hours a week after school throughout this school year. The students were also so committed that they practiced and studied at home and on the weekends!

MLMS competed in the Central Maryland Regional Competition on March 28, at the University of Maryland, College Park. At this preliminary meet, the team medaled in 17 of the 21 events and took 3rd place overall out of 42 middle school teams, therefore advancing to the State Finals Competition at Johns Hopkins University on April 11.

At the state competition, the MLMS team once again proved themselves to be excellent competitors! The team medaled in 17 of the 21 events and took 4th place overall. The MLMS team also took home the State Champion title in four events including Anatomy and Physiology, Picture This! (Scientific Vocabulary), Bio-Process Lab, and Bottle Rockets.

MLMS’s exceptional team left many, many competitors, their teachers, and their families wondering, “Where in the world is Mace’s Lane?” and “Is Dorchester a county in Maryland?”

2014-2015 Team Members

6th graders: Amanda Bair and Aamna Alvi

7th graders: Elijah Carrion, Meghan Masden, Aaron Hansen, Jake Hurley, Justin

Hurley, and Bryce Jones

8th graders: Kate Dixon, Laura Dixon, Connor McCroy, and Maggi Pantzloff

9th graders: Aaron McGlaughlin and Paul Major

Head Coach: Lindsay Agnello (Mace’s Lane Middle School)

Assistant Coach: Zachary Krisher (Choptank Elementary School)

Parent Volunteer: Allen Dixon