Science Buzz Club instills inquisitive mindset in elementary students
MADISON – A year-end tournament for six teams of Madison elementary students wrapped promotion by Science Buzz Club at James Clemens High School.
A student-led organization, Science Buzz instructs elementary- grade students in Madison City Schools about advanced science topics in fields such as biology, chemistry, earth science and physics. Students spend alternating weeks learning new topics within those fields or participating in buzzer-based competitions, like “Jeopardy!,” with classmates.
The students enjoy the fun atmosphere. However, these lessons and competitions prepare students academically for middle school science classes and tournaments, like Science Bowl, Science Bee and Science Olympiad.
For 2024-2025, six teams participated from four schools:
• Heritage Elementary School — Heritage Blue and Heritage Yellow.
• Mill Creek Elementary School — Mill Creek Blue and Mill Creek Brown.
• Columbia Elementary School — Columbia Astros.
• Midtown Elementary School — Midtown Wildcats.
After seven rounds of buzzer competition, Heritage Blue accumulated the most points and won the league. Mill Creek Brown claimed second place.
An end-of-year tournament pitted the teams one more time with a competitive format like Science Bowl’s regional competition. A Science Bowl member from high school paired with each team as a coach to assist throughout the tournament.
“After multiple rounds of round robin and single elimination competition, the Heritage Blue team emerged as our winning team and Mill Creek Brown/Midtown as runner-up. Both teams were recognized for their outstanding achievement during both the school year and the tournament,” parent Suresh Avula said.
Heritage Blue members who won both the league championship and year-end tournament are Captain Avyaktha Athiray, Jonathan Kang, Eunkyu Lee, Andrew Peraza and Meena Swarna.
One parent said her child “had a great learning experience. It was very informative. She came back with interesting questions after each session.”
That student “researched and tried to learn more about concepts discussed in Science Buzz. She really liked quizzes and looked forward to it,” the parent said. “The topics covered were wide and were preparing them for middle-school-level science.”
Another parent said, “Science Buzz Club is an excellent initiative that fosters curiosity and love for learning in children. It provides a fun and engaging environment where kids can explore new concepts and develop an inquisitive mindset.”
Ashley Horne, Teacher Sponsor of Science Buzz, said “I’m incredibly proud of the dedication and enthusiasm my students have shown in mentoring and educating younger learners. They’ve worked tirelessly to inspire elementary students, helping them explore science content far beyond their grade level.”
Elementary participants rose to the challenge, Horne said. “They studied complex topics with determination and competed against their peers with impressive skill and curiosity. Seeing both groups grow — my students as mentors and the elementary students as eager scientists — has been truly rewarding.”
Science Buzz has not only fostered a love of science but also built a sense of community and mentorship that will continue to grow, Horne said.
Club Secretary Joel Yang thanked volunteers from James Clemens and Liberty Middle School who helped during the regular season and year-end tournament: Prahaas Avula, Saqib Baig, Jason Chacko, Harveen Deol, Eiliyah Hafiez, Nikitha Katragadda, Pragya Kothari, Aneesh Maruvada, Neyan Sezhian, Ananya Shankar, Daksh Sunil, Vineet Vadrevu and Eddie Wen.
For more information, visit sites.google. com/view/jchssciencebuzz/home.
