Libby Middle School students achieved its highest finish ever at the 25th annual Montana Science Olympiad on Nov. 24 at Montana State University in Bozeman.

Close to 1,000 students statewide participated with 41 middle-school teams competing in three events. Libby’s lineup featured 15 students and the team placed in the top 20 in 11 events, including eight in the top 10.

The Science Olympiad is an academic-interscholastic competition involving junior and senior high school teams in a wide range of events. The activity’s goal is to improve the quality of science education, increase student interest in science and provide recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers.

Cody Barrick, Clayton Kerzman, Adam Kirschenmann and Kari Lindgren earned second-place medals in the “Pentathlon.”

“For the Pentathlon event, each individual had to complete both a physical and academic challenge, and then the entire team of four students had to complete a physical and academic challenge all within the shortest amount of time,” science teacher and Olympiad co-coach Renee Rose said.

Kirschenmann and Kerzman earned second-place medals in “Battery Buggy,” where they had to design a battery-operated car that would stop at any given distance from 2 to 10 meters.

Carl Holcomb earned a third-place medal for “Physical Science Lab.” Holcomb designed a wind propeller to generate electricity and then had to answer several questions related to alternative energies.

Erin Jager and Emily Jager teamed up to earn a fourth-place in “Fossils.” Barrick and Kyra Lauer earned a fourth place in “Can’t Judge a Powder.” Jared Laveway and Zander Petersen received seventh place for ‘Junkyard Challenge.” Laveway and Kerzman came in 10th place in “Anatomy.” Devon Bojorquez and Holcomb placed 10th in “Disease Detective.”

Other team members were Tyler Badertscher, Devan Fuhlendorf, Aaron Reed and Bobby Shaw.

“The team would like to thank Amy Smart, Pat Laveway and parents who donated their time, energy and expertise by assisting the students with individual events,” Rose said. “ExxonMobile and the Libby Middle School Parent Council helped us make the trip possible through their financial support.”

Besides Rose, the Science Olympiad team is also coached by Kathy Powers.

Montana Science Olympiad

Nov. 24 at Montana State University

Libby MS Results

Experimental Design – 28, Bobby Shaw and Zander Petersen.

Elevated Bridge – 22, Tyler Badertscher and Aaron Reed.

Meterology – 18, Devan Fuhlendorf and Devon Bojorquez.

Ornithology – 15, Bobby Shaw and Devan Fuhlendorf.

Wright Stuff – 15, Clayton Kerzman and Kari Lindgren.

Anatomy – 10, Clayton Kerzman and Jared Laveway.

Disease Detective – 10, Devon Bojorquez and Carl Holcomb.

Junkyard Challenge – 7, Jared Laveway and Zander Petersen.

Can’t Judge a Powder – 4, Cody Barrick and Kyra Lauer.

Fossils – 4, Erin Jager and Emily Jager.

Physical Science Lab – 3, Carl Holcomb.

Battery Buggy – 2, Adam Kirschenmann and Clayton Kerzman.

Pentathlon – 2, Cody Barrick, Adam Kirschenmann, Clayton Kerzman and Kari Lindgren.