What a great morning I had attending our county’s Science Olympiad. Our own Addison Elementary 5th grade team competed and did they rock! I went with vested interest in the team: my wife, Betty Jo, was a co-coach of the team and I had the pleasure of working with 3 of the teams (egg drop and helicopter launch teams both nailed 1st place which was pretty exciting).

But here is why an overall 3rd place finish was really a huge win:

1. Parents really supported their kids. Extra trips for after-school practices, practicing on events at home, and almost perfect attendance at the actual competition. It was great!
2. These students really hung together as a team. They were running from their own events to be observers/encouragers at their team’s other events. They were high-fiving and hugging each other, no matter the outcome. Nobody wanted the spotlight over their teammates. Pretty cool.
3. Several events threw these kids knuckleballs. Stuff they hadn’t anticipated. Possibilities they hadn’t considered. Construction materials they were unacquainted with. Unfriendly environments. Did they lose their cool? No way. Waste time struggling with the challenges. Ha! It was press on regardless. And did they ever press on. Embrace the concepts, work the game plan, keep the focus, have fun.
4. They stayed focused on why they were there: to have fun working with scientific concepts, applying those concepts to specific olympiad challenges. Their smiles were a “10.”

Sure, 2 other school teams accumulated higher scores. But not where it really counts.

Let the children lead. What lessons would you like to apply to your small group?