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AS SEEN IN About 2,000 students will compete Most of his and Bloemen's team throughout the weekend in a have since gone off to do cool, variety of categories, including -based jobs, Graves said. anatomy and physiology, chemistry, experimental design, “The working world carryover is forensics, herpetology, the dedication,” Graves said. MAY 17, 2018 thermodynamics and more. “Once you’re part of the team, it helps motivate you because others Kids will stay in the dorms at CSU are working on their parts of the Science Olympiad nationals come to and attend several workshops. The project.” competition, as well as the State University, where 2 Fort Collins opening and closing ceremonies, The competition gives kids a will be open to the public. chance to build a social network schools will compete on home turf around their passions, Bloemen “These are the kids who are going said, much like a sports team BY KELLY RAGAN Olympiad competition 10 years Bloemen, now a fourth year to make the next round of major would. Those friendships often [email protected] ago in , D.C. medical student, and her husband, scientific discoveries,” said Steven run deep. Noosa engineer Bryan Graves, Lovaas, president of the Colorado Elizabeth Bloemen remembers It rained hard that day. The ceiling will volunteer at the Science Science Olympiad and CSU’s “We invited a lot of our team to spending hours in the Poudre High leaked. She and her partner were Olympiad National Competition at information security officer. “The our wedding,” Graves said. School gym working to make the nervous the plane would get wet Colorado State University on more we can expose them to a perfect balsa wood and tissue and their hard work would be all Friday and Saturday, when two breadth of disciplines and get paper airplane. She took one of for naught. But the plane flew the Fort Collins teams will compete. them to work together in teams for those planes to a Science best it ever had that day. It's the first time nationals will a common goal, the better we can take place in Fort Collins. prepare them to be those agents of change.” Fort Collins’ own Preston and Fossil Ridge High The competition is a fun way for School will represent Colorado students to show their stuff. It also this year. Each 15-student team helps build work ethic and will compete in 23 events. They’ll teamwork, Graves said. Through compete against more than 120 Science Olympiad, he learned how teams from across the nation. to utilize the strength of the whole team and pull his own weight. Bloemen and Graves, who met while they were Science Olympiad teammates, volunteer for regional and state competitions each year, usually judging, writing tests and helping run the program. Bryan Graves and Elizabeth Bloemen invited their Science Olympiad team to their wedding. (Photo: Courtesy photo) continued on page 2

For more information, contact Jenny Kopach at [email protected] or Science Olympiad at www.soinc.org continued from page 1 page 2 of 2

About 2,000 students will compete Most of his and Bloemen's team throughout the weekend in a have since gone off to do cool, variety of categories, including science-based jobs, Graves said. anatomy and physiology, chemistry, experimental design, “The working world carryover is forensics, herpetology, the dedication,” Graves said. thermodynamics and more. “Once you’re part of the team, it helps motivate you because others Kids will stay in the dorms at CSU are working on their parts of the and attend several workshops. The project.” competition, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies, The competition gives kids a will be open to the public. chance to build a social network around their passions, Bloemen “These are the kids who are going said, much like a sports team BY KELLY RAGAN Olympiad competition 10 years Bloemen, now a fourth year to make the next round of major would. Those friendships often [email protected] ago in Washington, D.C. medical student, and her husband, scientific discoveries,” said Steven run deep. Noosa engineer Bryan Graves, Lovaas, president of the Colorado Elizabeth Bloemen remembers It rained hard that day. The ceiling will volunteer at the Science Science Olympiad and CSU’s “We invited a lot of our team to spending hours in the Poudre High leaked. She and her partner were Olympiad National Competition at information security officer. “The our wedding,” Graves said. School gym working to make the nervous the plane would get wet Colorado State University on more we can expose them to a perfect balsa wood and tissue and their hard work would be all Friday and Saturday, when two breadth of disciplines and get paper airplane. She took one of for naught. But the plane flew the Fort Collins teams will compete. them to work together in teams for those planes to a Science best it ever had that day. It's the first time nationals will a common goal, the better we can take place in Fort Collins. prepare them to be those agents of change.” Fort Collins’ own Preston Middle School and Fossil Ridge High The competition is a fun way for School will represent Colorado students to show their stuff. It also this year. Each 15-student team helps build work ethic and will compete in 23 events. They’ll teamwork, Graves said. Through compete against more than 120 Science Olympiad, he learned how teams from across the nation. to utilize the strength of the whole team and pull his own weight. Bloemen and Graves, who met while they were Science Olympiad teammates, volunteer for regional and state competitions each year, usually judging, writing tests and helping run the program.

For more information, contact Jenny Kopach at [email protected] or Science Olympiad at www.soinc.org