Dd made it to the state level of the National Chemistry Olympiad!

[MomsintheGarden]

Brag alert!

We are so excited - we just found out today that dd (a junior) was invited to take the Chemistry Olympiad National Exam! She took the Local Exam last month at a high school that's about 1 1/2 hours away. They invite the top 20 scorers in the state to participate in the National Exam. She will be taking it in Richmond on April 25. I'm not sure, but from the response to my informational searches, she may be the first homeschooled student to participate at this level in Virginia.

Just wanted to share!

Also, if ya'll want more info, I'll try to give it, even though we are still figuring it out ourselves.

Blessings,
GardenMom

[elizabeth]

How wonderful for your dd. I am delighted to hear of the accomplishments of self directed students who discover their passion and with the guidance and love of their family go forth to do great things. Congratulations to your lovely dd . This is only the beginning!!

[FloridaLisa]

Great job!

:party:

Lisa

[Stephanie/MO]

Our son made it to #2 in state in the History Day and won a scholarship.
It was a great experience for him as I am sure it is for your child too!
Stephanie

[Hoggirl]

I don't really even know what this is, but YEA!!! :) :) :)

[Nissi]

Congratulations! Could you please share with us what grade your daughter is in and what materials she used to prepare? Thanks.

[love2read]

What fantastic news! Is she doing anything special to prepare? I can imagine she must be bursting with excitement. You've done a good job there mom :grouphug:

[Leonor]

Congratulations!

[Sharon in MD]

Super mega congrats to you and your dd! Good luck and God bless on the Nationals!!! :hurray::hurray::hurray:

[Melabella]

Congratulations! Could you please share with us what grade your daughter is in and what materials she used to prepare? Thanks.


:iagree:I'd really like to know, too. Congratulations! You should both be very proud.

[MomsintheGarden]

Dd is 16, and a high school Junior (11th grade).

Here's a list of what she's studied for chemistry. She's bright, diligent and motivated, so this has been self-study.

10th Grade:
Apologia Chemistry (the first book)

11th Grade:
Main text: Zumdahl's AP Chemistry book & study guide (we bought a slightly older edition because the price was better, and they only change a little bit each time). EVERY time I mention that she's studying Zumdahl to a chemistry teacher (high school & college) I get a positive comment. Dd finished the book a couple of weeks ago; she was sad to be done - it was that good.
AP study with these prep books: 5 Steps to a 5, and Princeton Review. These both have their strong points. Keep in mind that the PR's attitude in most of their books is that scoring a 3 on the AP exams is the goal.
Labs: I wish we could afford the equipment needed to do all of the recommended AP labs, but for now she's doing the video labs on the DIVE Chemistry CD (using it for the labs only). Also, she's reading through much of The Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments by Robert Bruce Thompson.
Chemistry Olympiad Past Exams: She worked through the 2008 Local Exam before her Local Exam. Now she's going to try to get through several past National Exams before she takes that test. Here is a link to the Past Chemistry Olympiad Exams:
http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_SUPERARTICLE&node_id=1508&use_sec=false&sec_url_var=region1&__uuid=0e821957-ad2a-4dac-8702-aef60e6bf30a

She plans to take the Chemistry AP next month. Study for the CO has greatly helped her AP prep, which was are #1 goal for her participation in this competition.

She has been studying; I've been going up the steep learning curve to try to figure out how she can participate. After finding out about the CO in January by accident, I contacted our state coordinator and got permission for her to participate in the local exam - if we found a school that would host her. That took a couple of phone calls and emails. We were on our own to find a school. Not that many high schools participate in Virginia (it's more popular in New England), and I called many local schools before I found last year's results:
http://membership.acs.org/v/va/olympiad/results/2008%20results.htm
Then I called the schools that participated and found a school 1 1/2 hours away - the closest school to us that would/could host her.


Along the way, I've talked to a couple of high school AP Chemistry teachers. They were both very encouraging and helpful. One teacher at a local high school (that doesn't do the CO) said he'd be happy to answer any questions she has.

She took the Local Exam on March 18. We were told we'd hear by April 1 if she made it to the next level, so as time went by we figured she hadn't. What a surprise to be invited on April 14 to take the National Exam! We are thrilled she gets the privilege to advance.

HTH,
GardenMom

[cimhog]

Thank you. Great Info!

[Nissi]

Thanks Garden Mom. Very helpful info.

[Michelle in AL]

Congratulations on all the hard work and success! :thumbup: