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October 2023

This newsletter contains news and information of interest to Montana Science Olympiad coaches - current, past and future. For questions, please contact the MSU Science Math Resource Center.

Join us Oct. 25 for the Montana coaches' kickoff meeting

New, veteran and prospective coaches are invited to join the Montana Science Olympiad staff online from 4pm to 5pm on Wednesday, Oct. 25 as we kick off the 2023-24 season. We will go over the ins and outs of Science Olympiad; discuss the events for the season; give tips for building a team; and answer coaches' questions.


Please register in advance so we can have our Q&A ready to go.

[The session will be recorded if you can't attend in live time]


Watch for coach office hours coming in November and December -- these are drop-in virtual meetings when you can ask questions or meet other coaches.

And you can always email mtscioly@montana.edu!

National Science Olympiad hosts Workshop Wednesday Oct. 18

All Coaches & team leaders are invited to join the first Workshop Wednesday of the year on Wednesday, October 18th from 3:30-4:30pm Montana Time (4:30 Central)! This Workshop will cover assigning events to students; tracking your progress throughout the season, choosing Invitationals and where to go to find help. Register here!

Come say hi to the tournament director at the MFPE meeting in Billings!

Hi from Suzi Taylor, state tournament director. I'll be at the MFPE meeting in Billings this coming Oct. 19-20, and although we are not doing a Science Olympiad presentation this year, I would be happy to connect and say hello. You can find me at the Montana Science Teachers Association luncheon on Thursday at noon; the MSTA business meeting on Thursday at 4pm and the Aspiring Educators presentation on Friday at 3pm. Or, drop me an email and we'll find one another!

Science Olympiad student club launches at MSU

If any of your former competitors are now students at MSU, please tell them to check out the new Montana Science Olympiad student club! The purpose of the club is to bring together former Science Olympiad participants and any student interested in STEM with the goal of encouraging members to be involved in the Science Olympiad program at MSU. Members will assist Event Supervisors in test making, building apparatuses, assisting the directors in event-day preparation, and/or volunteering on the day of the event. The club will also include social events so members can meet one another!


Learn more on the MSU student club page or encourage your Science Olympiad alumni at MSU to email Club President Addie Rohlman.

Rickards Invitational virtual tournament is Nov. 4-11

The Rickards Invitational is Nov. 4-11. As the only satellite competition featuring both divisions in November, we are the perfect early-season tournament for all teams to attend. We have some of the best alumni and competitors in the nation writing our tests and we would love to have everyone in your state participate. We will be awarding custom medals to the top 15 places in both divisions. Florida State University is also sponsoring certain Division C events and will be giving monetary prizes to the first-place winners. This, coupled with a variety of fun trial events and a lot of competition (over 180 division C teams and 130 division B teams) makes us the perfect invitational to get teams started to prepare for the season. 


More information can be found on their Scilympiad page or competition website - rsoi.org


Each team will cost $85 to register, but Title 1 schools can come for free

The tournament is a virtual, satellite competition. 

Email director@rsoi.org for any questions.


NOTE to Montana teams: Science Olympiad requires that all teams competing in any Science Olympiad tournament (Invitational, Regional, State or National) must be a member of Science Olympiad and pay the national fee. This fee is included when you register your team with Montana Science Olympiad. Register your 2023-24 team here.

Reminders and important links

This year's tournament is hosted at MSU on Friday, April 19, 2024


Montana events for both Division B and Division C are now posted on the Science Olympiad website along with links to download this year's rules manuals.


We look forward to staying in touch throughout the year and seeing you and your team at MSU this spring. Enjoy the season, and please contact us if you have any questions: mtscioly@montana.edu.

Do you know an aspiring Science Olympiad coach or STEM teacher interested in cool opportunities? Please share this newsletter so they can join in. Or, they can subscribe at bit.ly/mtso-newsletter

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