Frequenty Asked Questions(FAQs)

What is the Science Olympiad? Please click on the button on the left "What is Science Olympiad?" for our mission and vision for students in Hawai‘i.

How can I become involved with Science Olympiad? There are a variety of ways you can become involved with Science Olympiad. At the school level, anyone can coach a team for the competition. Coaches do NOT have to be a teacher at a participating school. Interested volunteers can help schools prepare by being the head coach, or coaching specific events they are interested in or have expertise in. For example, a engineering professor from UH can help a team at Kaimuki High School in the building of their bridges, towers or launching devices for the annual competition. At the state level, HSSO committee is looking for good people to help organize the Olympiad itself (as the tournament coordinator), create and judge events, assist in recruiting volunteers, visiting schools to talk with students and teachers, as well as helping with supervise events, handle food and security at the Olympiad in March. We are also looking for people to begin organizing Science Olympiad teams and a tournament for the Middle School level (Division B). Email hisciolympiad@hotmail.com regarding ways to join and help Science Olympiad at the school and/or state level.

What grade levels can participate in the Olympiad? The Hawai‘i State Science Olympiad state competition is for Divisions B (middle school) and C (secondary school) students. If you are interested in coordinating a Division B and/or Elementary Level Olympiad, please contact Franklin Allaire (the state director) at allaire@hawaii.edu or hisciolympiad@hotmail.com.

Where can I get information about the events for the 2008 Hawai'i Science Olympiad? As of this posting, the approved list of events for the 2008 tournament season can be found on both our website as well as at the national website, www.soinc.com. Not only can you get a quick description of the events, but you can also download the event correlation to national and Hawai‘i state content standards. More complete information for all Science Olympiad events can be found in the Coaches Manual which is sent to member schools upon registration. Once events are chosen, they will be emailed to member schools and posted on this website along with some helpful hints, information and links to help students and coaches prepare.

Why doesn't HSSO run all of the event offered on the National Science Olympiad site? There are a couple of reasons for this. 1) Since this is the 4th annual tournament we are still growing. For 2007, we held 10 Division C events. For 2008, we have 12 Division C events and 6 Division B events! 2) HSSO made a conscious decision early on to have fewer "GREAT" events rather than lots of "MEDIOCRE" ones. We feel that this strategy has worked as the number of schools participating has increased each year. 3) While LCC has been a great home for the HSSO tournament, it does not possess the facilities for some events.

Is it possible for my family/company to donate to Science Olympiad? Absolutely! HSSO is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so donations are tax deductible. They also help the most important resource our state and country has...its children. Please click on "Make a Donation" to learn how to donate to HSSO, where the money you donate will go, and to view our helpful guide on monetary donations. All donors, unless otherwise specified, will be named in the tournament program distributed to all students, teachers, parents and staff.

Why aren't the rules for events posted on the web site? The events and rules for Science Olympiad are copyrighted and may not be placed on the web without the permission of the Science Olympiad National Executive Board of Directors. They have voted unanimously NOT to post the rules on the website for numerous reasons. Some issues and concerns that had an impact on the decision were; membership timing and delays, graphics and charts, bogus electronic copies, school's inability to download or open documents, downloading platforms and other problems. Other Science Olympiad manuals (but not the rule books) contribute to the revenue which keeps the organization financially sound and able to provide the high-quality educational experience that it does.

Does a team in the Olympiad have to participate in ALL of events offered? No, but... Teams entering the Olympiad are not required to participate in a certain number of events. Students can and are encouraged to participate in events that they are interested in, that's just one of the ways Science Olympiad is fun for all students, but there is no requirement regarding the number of events to participate in. However, we at HSSO hope that students and teachers find the events we have selected for the Olympiad interesting, exciting and fun and want to participate in all of them. If you would like to help in the selection of events for the annual Olympiad, contact us about becoming an a member of the executive committee. Visit the Event Supervisor section of this site to download the scoring rubric, or download the coaches manual.

How many students can be on a team? The maximum number of students that can be on any one team is 15. The minimum number of students is 1, but many events are team oriented so having at least 2 people will help. Schools competing can field more than one team, however each team of up to 15 students must submit their own registration forms (both national and state) and fees in order to compete. Small schools and home schools can combine to form a team of no more than 15 students. Please visit the "Coaches Information" section to view the small/home school policy.

Can a school field more than one team? Yes. Any school can field more than one team, to do so that school MUST submit both state and national registration paperwork for as many teams as they want to field. Example: James Woods High School wants to have two teams. They must submit national registration fees and paperwork for both teams, as well as state registration fees and paperwork for both teams. A single team can have no more than 15 students, so if your school has more than 15 students interested in participating then we recommend having more than one team.

Do we have to pay both the national and state registration fees, even if we're not planning to attend the national competition? Yes. The registration fees are completely separate and must be payed by a school wishing to participate in the Science Olympiad. The national fee ($60) registers your school with the national office and entitles you to copies of the coaches manuals to help prepare you for the annual Olympiad. The state fee ($15) registers you with the state and helps to offset some of the costs of running the Olympiad in our island home. Teams that place at the state level earn the opportunity to go on and represent Hawai'i at the National Science Olympiad held in May (location varies). While we realize that money is tight, especially in education, we feel that the registration fees are well below many other single-discipline competitions. We encourage you to talk to parents, businesses and other organizations for financial help. If you are a GearUp school, you may be able to receive financial assistance through a Gear Up grant.

If you still have questions email them to hisciolympiad@hotmail.com with FAQ in the subject heading.