There’s no torch run, but there are some demos involving fire at the Chemistry Olympiad competition at Drury University. Two teams of chemistry students from Republic competed on March 29th. Republic’s first-year chemistry students placed second as a team. The second-year chemistry students from Republic placed third.
Students take a two-hour test “covering a range of chemical concepts,” according to RHS chemistry teacher Jerry Morton. “This is then followed with the reward of doing some demos and experiments showing some concepts that we don’t usually get to or have the facilities to do at the high school level.”
Morton has taken students to the Olympiad at Drury for the past four years, since it restarted in the Springfield area after some years of absence. This year, second-year chemistry student Victoria Ogbeifun was among the Republic competitors. She said only one unit on the test––thermochemistry––hadn’t come up in class.
“I really liked getting to meet people from other schools as well as the demos that the people from Drury showed us, such as dipping our hands in solution and then lighting our hand on fire and shaking it really fast when it started to burn,” Ogbeifun said.
Ogbeifun plans to major in chemistry in college as she pursues a pre-med course of study. “I would like to be a neurosurgeon in the future and chemistry would definitely help me pursue that.”
Ogbeifun said she approached the chemistry competition in the same way she has approached very different competitions on the debate team.
“I… say to myself something that all of my debate coaches have taught me, that I can only be the best that I can be,” she said. “That saying really takes the pressure off and makes sure that I am clear-headed when competing and not worrying about others.
“I love competing against other people. If there was no competition, nothing would drive me to become better in the things I enjoy, not only in chemistry but in speech and debate, and school in general.”
In the competition among first-year students, Jacob Haralson and Mattison Garbee were the highest placers, finishing in a tie for third. Ogbeifun finished fourth among second-year students. Kelcey Trusler finished fifth in that division.