From Left to right :

3rd Row: Asst. Coach Susan Mize, Abby Dreschler, Abby Ewing, Caroline Grossweiler, Kristen Hoffman, Julio Valcarcel, Asst.Coach Brooke Green, Ashley Robichaud, Chris Vaughn. 2nd Row: Nick Wotring, Tori Valcarcel, Morgan Smith, Kati Fox.  1st Row: Lexi Daniels, Head Coach Jason O.L. Johnson "Mr.J" , Sam Swanson. Not Pictured: Megan Coblentz, Courtney Scott, Asst. Coach Von Mosser  - Jason O.L. Johnson "Mr. J" TMS SCIENCE

FCPS NEWS RELEASE

State Science Champs

April 09, 2008 - The Thurmont Middle School Science Olympiad team of 15 students became the state champions at the Maryland Science Olympiad last Saturday, and boy are they excited, says the team's head coach and science teacher Jason O.L. Johnson, "Mr. J" for short. Using their school initials, TMS, the students call their team the Total Masters of Science and look forward to representing Maryland in the national tournament next month in Washington, DC.

For nearly 25 years, the Science Olympiad has pursued its mission to promote and improve student interest in science and to improve the quality of k-12 science education throughout the nation. It's a mission that is certainly working for the champions at Thurmont Middle, who are especially thrilled about this victory as it's the school's first year in the competition.

On the team are 8th graders Megan Coblentz, Lexi Daniels, Abigail Drechsler, Abby Ewing, Caroline Grossweiler, Ashley Robichaud, Chris Vaughn and Julio Valcarcel; 7th graders Kati Fox, Kristen Hoffman, Morgan Smith and Nick Wotring; and 6th graders Courtney Scott, Sam Swanson and Tori Valcarcel. Assistant coaches are Brook Green, Susan Mize and Von Mosser.

According to the Science Olympiad's Web site, http://www.soinc.org, teamwork is a required skill in most scientific careers today, and much like a football or soccer team, competitive science teams prepare throughout the year for tournaments. The competition consists of a series of 23 team events in each division. Each year, a portion of the events are rotated to reflect the ever-changing nature of genetics, earth science, chemistry, anatomy, physics, geology, astronomy, mechanical engineering and technology. Combining events from all disciplines encourages a wide cross-section of students to get involved, says the Web site, adding that with more than 5,000 middle and high schools participating each year plus coaches, teachers, parents and expert judges, the Olympiad reaches more than two million people each year.