(Posted May 2, 2006)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Stroudsburg Junior High School and Sewickley Academy finished first and second respectively in Division B of the 2006 Pennsylvania Science Olympiad State Finals held Friday, April 28, at Juniata College.

Harriton High School, the defending national champions of 2005, finished first, and Penncrest High School finished second in Division C of the 2006 Science Olympiad State Finals.

All four teams will advance to the National Science Olympiad Finals May 17-20 at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. The state competition brought more than 1,100 high school and middle school students from across the state to the Juniata campus Friday. The students competed in 46 total events - some individual and some team -and earned points.

Attendees were divided into two divisions - Division B (grades 6-9) and Division C (grades 9-12). Teams attending the state finals at Juniata qualified by being among the top place-finishers at regional competitions. There were five regional competitions held in Pennsylvania in March and April.

The Science Olympiad State Finals highlighted the talents and skills of the top young scientific minds in Pennsylvania. Stroudsburg Junior High School took the top team prize in Division B followed by second-place winner Sewickley Academy, third-place winner Bala Cynwyd Middle School, fourth-place winner Shady Side Academy Middle School and fifth-place winner Welsh Valley Middle School.

Harriton High School took the Division C title followed by second-place finisher Penncrest High School. The third-place winner was Shady Side Academy; the fourth-place winner was Conestoga High School; and the fifth-place winner was Lower Merion High School.

The goals of the Science Olympiad, a non-profit organization, are to improve the quality of science education, increase student interest in science and recognize outstanding achievement in science education. The Science Olympiad involved, nationwide, more than 1 million elementary and secondary school students in classroom activities, workshops and tournaments.

For more information about the Science Olympiad, visit the Science Olympiad Web site, www.soinc.org
A complete list of the first- through third-place finishers in each of the 46 events will follow this press release:

Science Olympiad Results:

B Division:
Awesome Aquifer
1. Shady Side Academy Middle School
2. Stroudsburg Junior High School
3. Welsh Valley Middle School

Balloon Race
1. Sewickley Academy
2. Plum Junior High School
3. Welsh Valley Middle School

Bottle Rocket
1. Wyoming Area Secondary Center
2. Stroudsburg Junior High School
3. Finley Middle School

Bridge Building
1. Kutztown Middle School
2. Bala Cynwyd Middle School
3. Haverford Middle School

Can't Judge a Powder
1. Greater Nanticoke Area Jr./Sr. High School
2. Stroudsburg Junior High School
3. Haverford Middle School

Compute This
1. Strath Haven Middle School
2. Harlan Rowe Junior High School
3. Tunkhannock Area Middle School

Disease Detectives
1. Hershey Middle School
2. Welsh Valley Middle School
3. Shady Side Academy Middle School

Don't Bug Me
1. J.R. Fugett Middle School
2. Greater Nanticoke Area Jr./Sr. High school
3. Stroudsburg Junior High School

Dynamic Planet
1. Eagle View Middle School
2. Exeter Township Junior High School
3. Laurel Jr./Sr. High School

Experimental Design
1. Stroudsburg Junior High School
2. Eastern York Middle School
3. Chichester Middle School

Food Science
1. Sewickley Academy
2. Unami Middle School
3. Dallas Middle School

Heredity
1. Stroudsburg Junior High School
2. Sewickley Academy
3. Greater Nanticoke Area Jr./Sr. High School

Meteorology
1. Unami Middle School
2. Stetson Middle School
3. Kutztown Middle School

Mission Possible
1. Bala Cynwyd Middle School
2. Welsh Valley Middle School
3. Stroudsburg Junior High School

Mystery Architecture
1. Shady Side Academy Middle School
2. Kutztown Middle School
3. Haverford Middle School

Road Scholar
1. Unami Middle School
2. Bala Cynwyd Middle School
3. Sewickley Academy

Rocks and Minerals
1. Sewickley Academy
2. Eastern York Middle School
3. Exeter Township Junior High School

Science of Fitness
1. Shady Side Academy Middle School
2. Eagle View Middle School
3. Chichester Middle School

Solar System
1. Sewickley Academy
2. East Hills Middle School
3. Franklin Regional Middle School

Sounds of Music
1. Bala Cynwyd Middle School
2. Franklin Regional Middle School
3. Strath Haven Middle School

Storm the Castle
1. Sewickley Academy
2. Welsh Valley Middle School
3. Shady Side Academy Middle School

Water Quality
1. Stetson Middle School
2. Sewickley Academy
3. J.R. Fugett Middle School

Wheeled Vehicle
1. Finley Middle School
2. Shady Side Academy Middle School
3. Stroudsburg Junior High School


Division C

Astronomy
1. Harriton High School
2. Fleetwood Area High School
3. Shady Side Academy

Chemistry Lab
1. Harriton High School
2. Conestoga High School
3. Susquehanna Township High School

Circuit Lab
1. Penncrest High School
2. Lower Merion High School
3. Delaware Valley High School

Compute This
1. Shady Side Academy
2. State College Area High School
3. Delaware Valley High School

Designer Genes
1. Bishop McDevitt Senior High School
2. Penncrest High School
3. Shady Side Academy

Disease Detectives
1. Hershey High School Central
2. Fleetwood High School
3. Penncrest High School

Don't Bug Me
1. Conestoga High School
2. State College Area High School
3. Shady Side Academy

Dynamic Planet
1. Allentown Central Catholic High School
2. Taylor Allerdice High School
3. Lower Merion High School

Ecology
1. Conestoga High School
2. Harriton High School
3. Dubois Area Senior High School

Fermi Questions
1. Lower Merion High School
2. Conestoga High School
3. Bishop Hoban High School

Food Science/Chemistry
1. Harriton High School
2. Taylor Allerdice High School
3. Bishop McDevitt Senior High School

Forensics
1. Harriton High School
2. Wyoming High School
3. Penncrest High School

Health Science
1. Penncrest High School
2. Conestoga High School
3. Shady Side Academy

Physics Lab
1. Delaware Valley High School
2. Harriton High School
3. West Chester East High School

Practical Problem Solving
1. Delaware Valley High School
2. Stroudsburg High School
3. Penncrest High School

Remote Sensing
1. Shady Side Academy
2. Hershey High School Central
3. Dubois Area Senior High School

Robot Ramble
1. Athens Area High School
2. Kutztown Area High School
3. Wilson Area High School

Rocks and Minerals
1. Lower Merion High School
2. Penncrest High School
3. Harriton High School

Scrambler
1. Penncrest High School
2. Harriton High School
3. Chichester Senior High School

Storm the Castle
1. Athens Area High School
2. Penncrest High School
3. Kutztown Area High School

Tower Building
1. Penncrest High School
2. Harriton High School
3. Haverford Senior High School

The Wright Stuff
1. Kutztown Area High School
2. Haverford Senior High School
3. Shady Side Academy

Write It Do It
1. Kane Area High School
2. State College Area High School
3. Allentown Central Catholic High School

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.