Solon Middle School

Background
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. Solon Middle School holds the record for the most consecutive national titles, with 6 titles from 2008 to 2013. The Solon Middle School website can be accessed here.

History
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. In 2010, Solon Middle School won the National Tournament at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign over Arden Middle School by slightly over 20 points. In 2011, Solon Middle School, along with Solon High School, placed first in the nation at University of Wisconsin with 244 points. In 2012, Solon Middle School, along with Solon High School, placed first in the nation at University of Central Florida with 200 points. In 2013, Solon Middle School, along with Solon High School, placed first in the nation at Wright State University with a record 167 points. This was the first time in Science Olympiad history that the same school district has won both the Division B & Division C Science Olympiad National Tournaments for three consecutive years.

Solon Middle School has also placed 5th with 312 points at Juniata College in 2004, 4th with 349 points at University of Illinois in 2005, and 3rd with 305 points at Indiana University in 2006.

Currently, Solon Middle School holds the record for lowest points scored at a National Tournament (167 pts) and the record for lowest points scored at Ohio's State Tournament (51 pts). For the success of Solon's Science Olympiad students and the thriving online business community throughout the city, Google Inc. named the city of Solon the digital capital of Ohio and conferred the 2013 eCITY award.

Solon Middle School feeds into Solon High School, which has a highly successful team as well. The middle school and high school teams interact on a consistent basis, maintaining close relations and supporting each other in terms of resources and motivation.

Team Setup
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) and some that had 31-32 students with no alternates, but instead used a rotation between the students to decide who was competing. Solon usually takes two teams to Regionals and most Invitational competitions. Eventually, that number is cut to 15 plus 4-9 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. The middle school has only one practice a week for two hours long. Students are encouraged to study on their own time, since students only officially meet once a week.

Solon Invitational
Part of Solon Middle School's success is due to the many invitationals it participates in. Annually, Solon holds their own invitational on the first Saturday of February. The Solon Invitational has been able to attract many powerhouse schools, including: (highest placing at nationals in parentheses) Some consider the competition at Solon Invitational as the second most difficult tournament, only behind the National Tournament.
 * J.C. Booth Middle School, GA (1st)
 * Daniel Wright Junior High School, IL (2nd)
 * Marie Murphy Middle School, IL (2nd)
 * Shady Side Academy Middle School, PA (3rd)
 * Magsig Middle School, OH (3rd)
 * Meads Mill Middle School, MI (4th)
 * Bala Cynwyd Middle School, PA (4th)
 * Chardon Middle School, OH (5th)
 * Piqua Junior High School, OH (6th) - Discontinued
 * Sewickley Academy, PA (6th) - Discontinued

Results History
Solon has been a perennial contender for the Nationals title.

Since 2004, Solon has missed nationals only once. Here are the results since 2004:

1: National Record for lowest points ever scored at the National Tournament. 2: State Record for lowest points ever scored in the state of Ohio. 3: The Towers event was considered a Trial Event at the State Tournament. 4: The Storm the Castle event was considered a Trial Event at the Regional Tournament.

Invitational Results:

In 2010, the Solon Middle School team attended the Lisle Invitational in Illinois.