Emily Latimer sparks an interest in young science students each year.

This Pioneer School science teacher takes them to compete in the State Science Olympiad.

This year, Latimer took two teams - 28 students, including two Pioneer alumna - to Liberty High School in Portland to participate in various events testing their knowledge and application of science.

The Pioneer Black team, comprised of eight-graders, took third place overall and received a trophy. The Pioneer Red team, comprised of seventh-graders, took fifth place.

Nine middle school and six high school teams competed at the Olympiad.

"We usually have the biggest team, but the smallest school," Latimer said.

Twenty-three events took place throughout the day - some in quiet classrooms, other in gyms and common areas.

Students competed with partners in most cases and competed in at least three events each. Latimer said some events allowed students to use notes, where other events required students to memorize all information.

Latimer said the students at Pioneer began preparing for their events after Christmas, spending time after school and at home learning new concepts, practicing skills and designing projects.

Damien Hutley and Alexa Wirfs won first place in the Scrambler event. This event requires students to create a stopping mechanism for a vehicle, with an egg mounted on it, before it hits a wall. Both Hutley and Wirfs won T-shirts from the sponsor of the Olympiad, the American Egg Council.

Hutley and Wirfs also won third place in trajectory.

Notable Finishes:

Kylie Cairo and Alexis Tucker placed third for amphibians and reptiles.

Marybeth Piper won second place for experimental design, third place for both biology lab and write-it-do-it, and placed in crave the wave.

Amber McGowan took second place in environmental chemistry, and third place in biology lab and elevated bridge.

Dani Walls placed third in ecology and astronomy, and placed in crave the wave.

Kyle Smith won third place in disease detectives and ecology.

Taylor Templeton took third place in disease detectives.

Robert Lee and Julia Strong placed third in dynamic planet.

Abby Fry took second place in environmental chemistry, and third in elevated bridge and astronomy.

Anthony Stevenson finished second in experimental design, physical science lab and robo-cross.

Victoria Patterson won second experimental design and third in write-it-do-it.

Janessa Templeton participated in the pentathalon - a science-based obstacle course - and took third place for meteorology and science crime busters.

Shelby Miller, Lucas Goodwin and Jacob Hines also participated in the pentathalon.

Robert Gallaway placed third in meteorology.

Goodwin placed third in physical science lab.

Athena Doyle won third place in science crime busters.

Sara Putman took second in robo-cross.

Jesse Bustillos won honorable mention in trajectory for building "an outstanding catapult, but it actually went too far."