Solon Middle School
From Science Olympiad Student Center Event Wiki
Background
| Member of SO since | 1987 |
| Best finish, regionals | 2010, 1st place (Most Recent Time) |
| Best finish, state | 2010, 1st place (Most Recent Time) |
| Best finish, nationals | 2010 1st place (Most Recent Time) |
Solon Middle School, located in Ohio, is one of the most successful teams in the nation. They have placed consistently at the regional, state, and national level. Along with Booth Middle School and Irmo Middle School, they are one of three schools that have been three-time repeat national champions in the B Division.
They placed first at the national tournament held at George Washington University ahead of White Pines Middle School by one point. They also won the 2009 National Tournament at Augusta State University over ExCEL Homeschoolers by over 100 points. They recently won the 2010 National Tournament at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign over Arden Middle School by slightly over 20 points.
They feed into Solon High School, which has a highly successful team as well. The middle school and high school teams interact on a consistent basis, and the high school's recent success is partially because of the middle school.
In order to become a part of the middle school team, one must take a tryout test. Most years, 30 students qualify with around 5-7 alternates. There have been some years where the team has allowed 45 students (3 teams). Solon usually takes two teams to Regionals and most Invitational competitions. Eventually, that number is cut to around 15 plus 4-7 alternates, as only one team from a school can be taken to states.
Contrary to popular belief, Solon Middle School does NOT have a class for Science Olympiad.
Solon Invitational
Part of Solon Middle School's success is due to the many invitationals it participates in. Solon has been able to attract many powerhouse schools, including: (highest placing at nationals in parentheses)
- J.C. Booth Middle School, GA (1st)
- Shady Side Middle School, PA (3rd)
- Sewickley Academy, PA (6th) - Discontinued
- Bala Cynwyd Middle School, PA (4th)
- Magsig Middle School, OH (3rd)
- Chardon Middle School, OH (5th)
- Piqua Junior High School, OH (6th) - Discontinued
Some consider the competition at Solon Invitational as the second most difficult tournament, only behind the National Tournament.
Results History
Solon has been a perennial contender for the Nationals title.
| Year | Venue | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Nationals | 26th | ? |
| States | 1st | ? | |
| Regionals | ? | ? | |
| 1999 | Nationals | 11th | ? |
| States | 2nd | ? | |
| Regionals | ? | ? |
Since 2004, Solon has qualified for nationals 6 out of the 7 times. Here are the results since 2004:
| Year | Venue | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Nationals | 5th | 312 |
| States | 1st | ? | |
| Regionals | 1st/? | ? | |
| 2005 | Nationals | 4th | 349 |
| States | 2nd | ? | |
| Regionals | 1st/? | ? | |
| 2006 | Nationals | 3rd | 305 |
| States | 1st | ? | |
| Regionals | 1st/2nd | ? | |
| 2007 | Nationals | DNQ | - |
| States | 3rd | 113 | |
| Regionals | 2nd/3rd | 75 | |
| 2008 | Nationals | 1st | 249 |
| States | 2nd | 128 | |
| Regionals | 1st/3rd | 63 | |
| 2009 | Nationals | 1st | 242 |
| States | 1st | 73* | |
| Regionals | 1st/2nd | 77 | |
| 2010 | Nationals | 1st | 246 |
| States | 1st | 88 | |
| Regionals | 1st/2nd | 38 |
A * indicates a State Record for lowest points ever in the state of Ohio.

