North Hollywood, Lancaster Schools Win Science Olympiad

Throngs of curious students crowded around the complicated contraptions in the science building class, eager to see if they would work.

North Hollywood High School student Frankie Kwak, 17, donned lab safety goggles and dropped a quarter in a slot.

A golf ball rolled through a tube, a match lighted and several levers moved. But in the end, the team that designed the gizmo lost points when a member had to touch a circuit to pop a ball out of the Rube Goldberg-like machine to complete the operation.

Students took turns trying their machines during the “Mission Possible” event of the Los Angeles County Science Olympiad at Cal State Northridge on Saturday. More than 1,200 students from more than 90 elementary, middle and high schools across Southern California participated in the regional competition, said Dean Gilbert, an event organizer.

Winners in the high school category were: first place, North Hollywood High; second place, Arcadia High; third place, Palos Verdes Peninsula High (Rolling Hills Estates).

Winners in the junior high division were: first place, Joe Walker Middle School (Lancaster); second place, Huntington Middle School (San Marino); third place, La Mesa Junior High (Santa Clarita).

The winners go on to the state-level Olympiad, said Gilbert, who is a county Office of Education science consultant. Students benefit by competing, especially in a university setting, he said.

“They’re not being talked at. They’re actually doing things and sharing knowledge,” Gilbert said. “It allows them to look beyond the confines of their daily activities.”

Students competed in 36 events at the 14th annual event. In one category they had to transport an egg in a “scrambler” device along a length of floor as far as possible without smacking into the finish line.

The North Hollywood High team has placed first or second in the regional Olympiad the past four years, said science teacher and team coach Len Soloff. Students worked several months on their devices, which must execute six energy transfers, preferably within a minute, he said.

Building the machine requires the students to use their knowledge of chemistry, physics and engineering.

“It’s a practical application of the knowledge they’ve learned. They get to experiment and be innovative,” Soloff said.

Kwak said he enjoyed leaving the textbooks behind and having a hands-on experience. “It’s a fun way to apply yourself to science, as opposed to taking tests--so I jumped at the opportunity.”