Over spring break, 15 Belleville students traveled to UW-Stout in Menomonie for a STEM Expo and the State Science Olympiad Competition. On Friday the students were able to attend various STEM related presentations, and on Saturday the students competed in 23 events against 45 other schools of all sizes from all over the state of Wisconsin. Local schools included West, Memorial, LaFollette, Mount Horeb, Oregon, Verona, Waunakee, Evansville, and Cambridge.  

Team members earned medals in Geologic Mapping (Gary Salmela, Joey Sokol), Green Generation (Otto Anson, Britney Markhardt), Invasives (Otto Anson, Britney Markhardt), Mystery Design (Jaden Kieler, Grace Przybyl), and Write It Do It (Grace Przybyl, Connor Theis). All team members played a crucial role in the overall team score that ranked Belleville 12th in the state. The only other local schools that earned higher scores were Madison West and Verona.

Highlights of the season include winning "Best New Team," placing 3rd at the Regional Tournament, placing 12th at the State Tournament, and bringing home 47 individual metals. Besides "doing science," the group bonded during the long bus rides, sing-a-longs, card games, swimming, and decorating their "homeroom" space.