This year's topic was biology, as you may know, you could spend your whole life studying it. We included several dissections which were very interesting. I probably enjoyed these the most. We started the year with cells, the most basic unit of structure in your body, we then progressed to DNA, microscopes, and then ecology. Ecology is a broad topic that includes some common knowledge. This year touched on a lot of topics that were not needed for the final. This made the class more interesting and exposed me to these topics which may be helpful in the future. This year we had dissections that helped us to actually see the structures that are in the animal, I had fun doing this. We also had chicks, we got to see them hatch and we had a couple days with them. This was an interesting experience. 
This year improved my knowledge on many topics, I was exposed to many areas of biology. This year brought my passion for studying science up. I am definitely interested in pursuing my dream- being an orthodontist. The biggest challenge for me would be dealing with stress-which sounds dramatic. In all honesty, this year combining school, and outside stress has really taught me to persevere. My biggest success would have to be leading the Science Olympiad team when our coach, Mrs.Giacomelli was not here. Like I have said before, this event had an impact on me. Next year, I will be as Isaac Bear expanding my knowledge in science. I look forward to learning more about chemistry and physics. Something that I could improve on over the summer is my organization; as you may know this is a huge part in successfulness. My most cherished memory from science at WAAS is all of the dissections. I like to see whats going on in animals, and I find it interesting to learn about this. Some advice to students who will take biology- don't be afraid to get in there, the only way you are going to learn is if you you come with an open book. You should also know that Mrs.G is a great teacher and if you are ever in her class, always know that she is willing to help.
We dissected: a pickle, an earthworm, a starfish, a squid, a frog, a grasshopper, and a fetal pig. We also got to see a cow eye and sheep brain. On top of these things, we did a lot of labs ranging for bacteria growth to seeing osmosis work in gummy bears. I had a lot fun in these labs, and I think the best was the dissection of the fetal pig. The fetal pig was interesting to see because a lot of the structures are similar to ours, it was cool to learn about them. The second best lab was blowing bubbles on the table. I find it weird that I take interest in this lab, but it was honestly pretty fun. This lab didn't really have to much science in it, but I still enjoyed it. Over the three years at WAAS, I have grown by learning life lessons, and experiencing events that have a deeper message.
Science Olympiad has definitely impacted me more than I thought it would in the beginning. As I am sure you know, I am team captain and taking this leadership role has taught me so many life lessons. I will definitely look back on this period of my life and remember how it changed me. Between the stress and accomplishments, I have benefited from the 3 years. To recap, my first year was an intro to what SO really is and I don't think anything was rough, I do remember how I felt getting first in states. My second year was a little rough, starting off with one of the most time consuming events, ending up being the only one doing the event, having to rebuild the machine during the tournament, and deciding whether I should continue to participate. This year, my third year, wasn't too bad. I was team captain which allowed me to experience of leadership. I think that the SO team overall was the strongest this year.
To conclude and end my blog, I leave you with this: Remember to constantly strive for living up to your true potential, others may not believe or see this, but you are here to prove them wrong. Make sure you stay true to yourself, be grateful, explore, remember, if you are always finding ways to improve yourself and you don't take breaks, your life would be plain. Remember to step back; appreciate what you have, be grateful for your opportunities, yes, you will have horrible days, but they are to remind you that you are not perfect.
