[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 2487-2488]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            BELL STREET MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE OLYMPIAD TEAM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
South Carolina (Mr. Duncan) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
an exceptional group of students, teachers, and parents of the Bell 
Street Middle School Science Olympiad Team, which just won its 10th 
consecutive Science Olympiad State Championship.

[[Page 2488]]

Let me repeat that: 10th consecutive Science Olympiad Championship.
  The Science Olympiad program is one of the premiere science 
competitions in the Nation, providing rigorous standards-based 
challenges to nearly 6,200 teams in 50 States. Science Olympiad's 
continuously changing event lineup exposes students to a variety of 
career choices and gives them an opportunity to meet participating and 
practicing scientists, as well as the opportunity to have life-changing 
mentors.
  Science Olympiad was founded in 1982, and Bell Street Middle School, 
there in Clinton, South Carolina, began competing in that in 1986. The 
Science Olympiad Team at Bell Street was formed by three very 
inspirational teachers: Rosemary Wicker; Dr. David O'Shields, who is a 
close personal friend; and Michael Mack. Mr. Mack and Dr. O'Shields 
still work in the school district in Clinton today. Michael Mack is a 
member of the science faculty at Clinton High School, and Dr. David 
O'Shields is currently the superintendent of Lawrence County School 
District 56. Both continue to be active event coaches for the 
incredibly successful Bell Street Science Olympiad Team. Many of the 
Bell Street Middle School's Science Olympiad alumni have gone on to 
become extremely successful in the areas of science and technology.
  One examples is the gentleman Dedric Carter. Dedric was a former 
member of the Bell Street Middle School Science Olympiad Team who went 
on to enroll at MIT for college. He later became MIT's assistant dean 
for engineering and a lecturer in the Department of Electrical 
Engineering and Computer Science. He is currently the senior adviser 
for strategic initiatives to the Director of the National Science 
Foundation.
  Another one, Jarrett Campbell, is also an alum of Bell Street Middle 
School's Science Olympiad Team. After competing in the Science Olympiad 
teams in middle and high school, Jarrett went on to complete a 
doctorate degree in chemical engineering at the University of Texas at 
Austin. Jarrett worked for Advanced Micro Devices, where he was awarded 
over 25 patents in the area of semiconductor technology. Today, Jarrett 
works as a global energy management specialist for a U.S. company in 
Paris, France. When he was asked about his experience with the Science 
Olympiad, Dr. Campbell said this:

       Not only did the teacher, coaches, and parent volunteers 
     pique my interest in science and math, they continually 
     challenged me to expand my knowledge by competing in new 
     disciplines. Looking back, I see how important the 
     camaraderie, teamwork, and constant desire to excel, along 
     with the examples set by these role models leading the team, 
     was exceptional in setting the stage for my career in 
     engineering and energy management.

  I believe this statement sums up how valuable this program is to our 
Nation's youth.
  Finally, I would like to take time to congratulate all of the coaches 
and the members of this year's State championship Science Olympiad Team 
from District 56's Bell Street Middle School. This year's team 
included: Mike Beasley, Stephanie Braswell, Jalen Carter, Lawrence 
Coleman, Terry Craig, Andrew Gann, Karl Gustafson, Dalton Langston, 
Beth Meadors, Zack Ray, Jonathan Shiflet, Kyle Smith, Bowen Tiller, 
Nathan Vondergeest, Clay Wright, Triston Moon, Daniel Moore, Luke 
Ragin, Jacob Wesson, Audrey Atkinson, Chris Cannon, Justin Easter, 
Dawson Green, Jack Harkins, Tara Hiller, Ami Meadors, Jill Meadors, 
Olivia Moore, Brianna Motte, Jakob Pountain, Michael Richey, Justin 
Shockley, Dillon Snead, and Bailey Stephens. Those are the students, 
but the teachers and the parents that volunteer need to be singled out 
as well. I don't have them by name, but let them know that we certainly 
appreciate their efforts.
  These are the future scientists. These are the new innovators coming 
along. I'm excited that at middle school they're challenging these 
students to be the best they can.
  May God continue to bless those students, teachers, and parents. May 
God continue to bless Bell Street Middle School, and may God continue 
to bless America.

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