CHICAGO — The Volta Elementary Thunderbolts came crashing down on their opponents at the 2015 Illinois Science Olympiad championships this past weekend, earning five medals.
The 27-person team, hailing from an Albany Park neighborhood school, won medals in robotics, entomology, solar systems, bridge building and elastic launch gliders, according to Dzevida Duheric, a teacher and coach. In the robotics competition, known as Robo-Cross, seventh-graders Brennan Idor and Jennifer Calderon placed second, snagging the highest award for Volta during the meet.
"This was an unforgettable experience for our students," Duheric said. "They had an amazing time."
Not only did her students accomplish more than anyone had expected academically, Duheric said the experience of being on campus was an eye-opening moment for her young team.
"[The] students noticed right away after touring the campus for little bit that we are so diverse," she said. "All other students and groups are white and our group are all different, meaning diverse. I told them that is actually good and makes us special and more closer, acceptable and respectful of each other."
Duheric said after taking some time to relax and reload, she plans to help her eighth-grade students apply to science-heavy schools and work on the Olympiad program at Volta for next year.
"We are definitely continuing the program and are going to work even harder to aim for state again," she said.
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