Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – On Saturday, fourth- through sixth-grade students from the five Jonesboro magnet schools gathered at Jonesboro High School (JHS) to compete in a Science Olympiad.

The Olympiad, organized by Arkansas Excellence in Teaching Fellowship member Desiree Stokes and colleague Jan Annaratone, lasted throughout the morning and encompassed 20 events based around a variety of science fields. Stokes said there was an emphasis on providing a quantity of unique topics for students.

“What my colleague and I decided was that we wanted all of the sciences to be represented at the competition,” Stokes said. “Some are life sciences, some are physical sciences, some are earth sciences, so that was really important to us.”

From identifying bugs and leaves to determining the daily sources of disease people interact with, the Olympiad provided different pathways for students to explore a plethora of scientific studies. By catering to several niche fields, Stokes said she tailored the event to spark an interest in science for elementary kids.

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“We want them to fall in love with science,” Stokes said. “The Olympiad gives students an opportunity that if they have a special interest, that might come in useful and they get to do something fun with it.”

Even if science does not resonate with a contestant, Stokes said she still wants the Olympiad to leave every student with a new understanding.

“You’re a living thing and you’re on a very living planet, so it’s understanding yourself and the world around you, and that’s good for anybody to know,” Stokes said.

However, the participants were not the only students leaving the Olympiad with new knowledge.

With the help of Stokes and Annaratone, the competition was student-run, with members of the JHS Science Clubs volunteering to judge events, guide the younger kids around campus, and provide additional help wherever needed.

Alongside the opportunity to receive required volunteer hours, Stokes said the JHS students built their leadership skills through their work.

“We’re trying to give them some responsibilities, but really it’s the leadership component because they are the facilitators of that event in that room,” Stokes said.

Stokes said the volunteers also served as great role models for the younger kids participating in the Olympiad.

“I think it’s more meaningful for the elementary students to see that high school kids are giving up time on Saturday to be there and volunteer,” Stokes said. “I think the elementary kids probably look up to those high school kids, and they probably enjoy it and take more away knowing that it’s student-run.”

The event saw a significant jump in participation from the previous Olympiad held in the spring, growing from 40 to 60 participants.

In response to this, Stokes said future expansions to the competition are in the works, including opening the event to students outside of the “Accelerate” program and from other school districts in Jonesboro.

“I would love to expand it beyond the ‘Accelerate’ program, and students who just want to be a part of science could sign up through their science teachers,” Stokes said.

While these improvements will require more than just two advisors, Stokes said she believes the Olympiad will help bring more emphasis to science for elementary students.

“Those are the kinds of dreams we have for this,” Stokes said.

Below are the winners for the Olympiad events:

A is for Anatomy

• 1st Place: Colier Blakely
• 2nd Place: Nora Kiriazis
• 3rd Place: Jennings Roberts, Evelyn Sanders

Calculator Contest

• 1st Place: Bailor Reeves, Loial Tuseth-Grant
• 2nd Place: Calvin Pelletier, Felix McNeely
• 3rd Place: Liam Esquivel, Lilly Davis

Clay Boats

• 1st Place: Collier Blakely, Caroline Blackburn
• 2nd Place: Jennings Roberts, Evelyn Sanders
• 3rd Place: Knox Hurdle, Loial Tuseth-Grant

Cool It

• 1st Place: Nora Lamb, Loial Tuseth-Grant
• 2nd Place: Oliver Pelletier, Owen Callentine
• 3rd Place: Felix McNeely, Betsy Pierce

Crime Busters

• 1st Place: Emma Miller, Laiyah Lewis
• 2nd Place: Caroline Blackburn, Abigail Blackburn
• 3rd Place: Sawyer Moore, Cooper Gifford

Deep Blue Sea

• 1st Place: Levi Morrison, Violet Smalley
• 2nd Place: Collins Powell, Liam Esquivel, Nora Kiriazis
• 3rd Place: Jimmyah Connor, Owen Callentine, Bradyn Wilson

Density

• 1st Place: Brannan Stevenson, Martin Quattlebaum
• 2nd Place: Calvin Pelletier, Ja’Kaylin McCarroll
• 3rd Place: Neev Patel, Yaqub Durrani

Disease Detectives

• 1st Place: Nora Kiriazis, Piper Cornwell
• 2nd Place: Jennings Roberts, Yusuf Durrani
• 3rd Place: Jimmyah Connor, Laiyah Lewis

Don’t Bug Me

• 1st Place: Nora Kiriazis, Norah Lamb
• 2nd Place: Knox Hurdle
• 3rd Place: Liam Esquivel, Khylan Hotop

Elements, Compounds, Mixtures

• 1st Place: Bentley Purl, Piper Cornwell, Laiyah Lewis
• 2nd Place: Brannan Stevenson, Cooper Gifford
• 3rd Place: Yaqub Durrani, Martin Quattlebaum

Estimania

• 1st Place: Khylan Hotop
• 2nd Place: Silas Moore, Betsy Pierce
• 3rd Place: Aubrey Perez, Sawyer Moore

Food for Thought/Energy

• 1st Place: Levi Morrison, Brannan Stevenson
• 2nd Place: Neev Patel, Beau Fleming
• 3rd Place: Arian Miller

Grab a Gram

• 1st Place: Betsy Pierce, Evelyn Sanders
• 2nd Place: Bailor Reeves, Drew Richardson, Loial Tuseth-Grant
• 3rd Place: Bradyn Wilson, Hunter Matheny

Grasp a Graph

• 1st Place: Neev Patel
• 2nd Place: Ja’Kaylin McCarroll
• 3rd Place: Zeyad Tijani

Leaf & Tree Identification

• 1st Place: Piper Cornwell
• 2nd Place: Aubrey Perez, Christian Clay
• 3rd Place: Arian Miller

Paper Rockets

• 1st Place: Hunter Matheny, Arian Miller
• 2nd Place: Liam Esquivel, Bailor Reeves
• 3rd Place: Riley Bogard, Khylan Hotop

Picture This

• 1st Place: Betsy Pierce, Levi Morrison
• 2nd Place: Evelyn Smith, Greyson Taylor, Drew Richardson
• 3rd Place: Emma Miller, Lilly Davis, Athziri Regino-Cruz

Starry, Starry Night

• 1st Place: Calvin Pelletier, Drew Richardson
• 2nd Place: Violet Smalley, Silas Moore
• 3rd Place: Ben Matheny, Athziri Regino-Cruz

Straw Tower

• 1st Place: Knox Hurdle, Beau Fleming
• 2nd Place: Aubrey Perez, Ja’Kaylin McCarroll
• 3rd Place: Neev Patel, Sawyer Moore

Write It/Do It

• 1st Place: Calvin Pelletier, Oliver Pelletier
• 2nd Place: Owen Callentine, Jimmyah Connor
• 3rd Place: Hallie Harbuck, Violet Smalley

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