Fourth-, fifth-graders can explore James Clemens’ ScienceBuzz

MADISON – Youngsters craving more of a challenge in techie topics will find an outlet with ScienceBuzz, a new club that students have founded at James Clemens High School.

ScienceBuzz intends to reveal advanced-level material to fourth- and fifth-graders who are gifted in math and science. This club also aims to prepare students for competitions like Science Olympiad and buzzer-based science contests, like Science Bowl and Science Bee.

Because of a restricted number of buzzers, the club will accommodate six teams and 30 students. Leaders will teach Earth and Space, Life Science, Physics and Chemistry topics for one class, known as the “teaching week.” Students will receive resources to review and study to further their knowledge on the topics. (sites.google.com/view/jchssciencebuzz/about)

During the next week, Science Buzz students will compete in a buzzer round, modeled like Science Bowl. The round will cover questions that students have studied. Leaders aim to have about 10 days for both teaching and buzzer rounds for the club’s duration.

Throughout the weeks, students will be awarded points based on their performance during buzzer rounds. An end-of-the-year tournament will mimic Regional Science Bowl’s format with a round-robin, semi-finals and finals. The winning team will receive a prize and compete against a science bowl team in middle or high school.

ScienceBuzz’s student staff includes sophomore Praneel Avula, President and Founder; freshman Harshtha Chander, Vice President and Co-Founder; freshman Heidi Leonard, Vice President and Co-Founder; and Joel Yang, Treasurer and Co-Founder.

Ashley Horne is ScienceBuzz’s Teacher Sponsor. Horne also sponsors Science Olympiad, Science Bowl and Interact Club.

This club will meet every Wednesday from 4 to 5 p.m. at James Clemens. On one week, selected students will receive instruction by students experienced in competitions on topics in categories for Earth and Space Science, Physics, Biology and Chemistry. The next week, these students will compete with a team in a mock round like Science Bowl.

An end-of-season tournament also will follow the Regional Science Bowl’s format. Club fee is $25.

Application deadline is Aug. 23. Organizers will notify applicants by Aug. 30 who are selected for ScienceBuzz.

For more information, email jcchssciencebuzz@gmail.com, or visit sites.google.com/view/jchssciencebuzz or Facebook/James Clemens High School.