Frequently Asked Questions
How do we gather support?
Running a Science Olympiad or coaching a Science Olympiad team requires people and resources. Recruit help from everywhere. You CANNOT do this alone!
Start with your school administration. You will not be successful without their support. You may want to remind them that the price for membership of an entire team is approximately the price for one football helmet.
Enlist help from other teachers at your school. They don’t have to be math and science teachers to help you organize or manage your team.
Form a Science Olympiad Booster Club and let your boosters accomplish fundraising and recruitment of coaches. Check to see if team parents work for employers that:
- provide funding if parents volunteer time to the school/team,
- matches funds the parents contribute to the school/team,
- are science oriented and would done old equipment, materials, money, or volunteers.
Many teams receive sponsorship, support, and volunteer coaches from local service clubs, parents' groups, school boards, intermediate (regional) school districts, senior citizens groups, engineering offices, local community colleges and universities, science-related businesses, book publishers, the military, science supply houses, newspapers, park service officers, county extension offices, high school students or college students needing community service hours, honor fraternities and societies at local universities, local companies, corporations, and industry.
You could also try fast food chains, local congressmen, garden clubs, conservation groups, professional associations, businesses, anyone! Many businesses require about six weeks for contributions to go through their machinery, so allow enough lead-time. Don’t forget to recruit coaches from local business and industry. For example, engineers are great to help students with bridges, towers, trebuchets, airplanes, bottle rockets, Mission Possibles, and so on. There are tons of folks right in your community that are experts in the events your students are competing in. Reach out to them and get them involved!
