Category Archives: science olympiad invitationals

Nov 4 2025

Homeschool Milestone: My Son Turns 18 – Navigating the Leap to Adulthood

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This November, my son turns 18. Whoa! When did that happen? To be cute, it happened over 18 years. In a sense, I have homeschooled him for 18 years. Officially, for 13. My husband and I are incredibly grateful for the young man our son has become. He scored in the 99th percentile for the SAT and received admission with generous scholarships at all universities he applied to. He is healthy and physically fit. This church elder asked him to preach a sermon next year. Mentally, physically, and spiritually, our son has become a leader.

Preston Zoder at 18

My son, in whom I am well pleased

In 9th grade, our son became a state champion in two Science Olympiad events: Circuits and Solar System. He got into the Top 1,000 cubers in the nation. If you think that’s not that impressive, try solving Rubik’s cube in less than 9 seconds. My best time? 1 min 35 seconds. My son taught himself how to go under 1 minute and then under 30 seconds and then under 10 seconds. It’s wild. Continue reading »

Apr 2 2023

2023 Science Olympiad State

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Cedar Springs Homeschool, our team, won second place in the Tennessee State Science Olympiad, held on the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville. Our son won gold in Solar System and Crave the Wave. Our daughter won silver in Flight.

Teen cubing at Science Olympiad

Between events, in the homeroom

Teen girl Science Olympiad

Waiting between Flight and Bridge

We are proud of their achievements – overall, as a team, and individually. Our children did their part to help the team win second place out of the best 15 teams in the State of Tennessee. Continue reading »

Mar 27 2023

Medals from Regionals

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The medals our team earned at the Regionals in Science Olympiad (SO) came in, finally. We forgive the organizers for forgetting to order them in time to distribute during the awards ceremony last month. It is hard to imagine how one would forget to order medals when one organizes a competition, but we will be gracious and give them our thanks for all their efforts in putting together such a massive effort as SO Regionals.

Claire with medals

Our daughter with her two golds from SO Regionals

Our son put his on – four golds and a bronze – but he did not want to be photographed. Then, he took them off. He said it felt good to have them, but not getting them on the day of competition took away from their aura. Continue reading »

Jan 23 2023

SO Friendship Invitational

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Last week, our children and their Science Olympiad team competed in the Friendship Invitational, on the campus of Friendship Christian School in Lebanon, TN. This year, there were 24 teams competing, from Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and maybe even North Carolina – very strong competition.

Cedar Springs Homeschool Team A

Cedar Springs Homeschool Teams A and B

Invitationals are the not-so-secret weapon of strong teams to prepare for Regionals – the event that qualifies a team to State, which is followed by Nationals, if you win State. Continue reading »

Nov 14 2022

Dodgen Invitational, Science Olympiad

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Last week, our children participated in the Dodgen-Walton Science Olympiad Invitational, together with their team, Cedar Springs Homeschool. This invitational happens at the Walton High School in Marietta, GA. We compete against teams from public schools, private schools, magnet schools, charter schools, and there was another homeschool team, as well.

Cedar Springs Homeschool Team

Cedar Springs Homeschool Team for Science Olympiad

Invitationals are tough competitions which we attend in order to learn. We build on this experience. By the time we go to Regionals, State, and (hopefully) Nationals, we feel prepared. Continue reading »