Starting a Scioly Team as a Student (kind of)

[foxinni]

As for Forestry, we weren't using the Sibley guide to trees. We used Audubon, which ended up working really well! I would say that the main part of it is identification. Make sure you have a field guide, though! (Same thing for Rocks and Minerals, which will be Fossils next year.)

1: Identify specimens with their common and scientific name. (No need to memorize both, just memorize what name is easier for you and you can convert using the index of the field guide.)
2: Name two human health issues that this tree is known to be a remedy for. (I like to use Wikipedia for notes, so this should be found in the Wikipedia page if that knowledge is present.)
3: What did early myths suggest the branches of specimen A could do? (This could be in the In Popular Culture section, or for this case, in "Folk Medicine." Like I said, Wikipedia works for me, but make sure you get answers from every category.)
4: What is the range of months in which the flowers are in bloom? (Can usually be found in "Cultivation.")

Also, around 30% of the test is general parts of a tree such as types of leaves, tree structure, photosynthesis, etc. So feel prepared for that (the scioly wiki can help.)

Of course, you're in California, so competition might be harder! But good luck! Also message me if you have any other questions.

(Sorry for the long response. I got carried away and Forestry is the one event I can talk forever on.)

Wow, thank you so much! I'll show this to my teammates who are doing it- I think they'll be relieved. No need to apologize for long responses haha- it's very much appreciated. One more thing though: for memorizing the specimens with their names, how do you particularly do it? (eg: physical flashcards, flashcards on quizlet, notes, etc)
thanks!

[foxinni]

Yeah, CA is hard. I'm glad my state isn't as cutthroat..

yeah, I think the main thing that I'm glad for is the fact I'm not IN one of the cutthroat schools. Instead of being on a team with people who don't even want to TALK to me, I'm on a team where everyone is chill (but still really smart) and where they have F U N together.
I think a lot of these more successful, dominating schools tend to lose the fun and enjoyable aspect of scioly: the part that's supposed to be a "fun science competition" where you get to "meet like-minded individuals".

but then again, competition gets boring sometimes.

lol that's true- in a way, being in such a cUttHrOat (im enjoying using that word) environment really pushed me and my teammates to work twice as hard :))

sorry for such a long response: the scioly environment in california is something i could probably go on about forever :P

[knightmoves]

Yeah, CA is hard. I'm glad my state isn't as cutthroat..

yeah, I think the main thing that I'm glad for is the fact I'm not IN one of the cutthroat schools. Instead of being on a team with people who don't even want to TALK to me, I'm on a team where everyone is chill (but still really smart) and where they have F U N together.
I think a lot of these more successful, dominating schools tend to lose the fun and enjoyable aspect of scioly: the part that's supposed to be a "fun science competition" where you get to "meet like-minded individuals".

Don't think I agree. My team is not very good (we call qualifying for state a good result), but we compete against some of those hard core cutthroat schools. I've had some great interactions with some of their team members, and I've seen them having plenty of fun. They also take the competition seriously, and are trying to do their best, and continually looking for opportunities to improve, but they can have fun in the process.

I think the big advantage in competing in competitions with a bunch of hard-score schools is that the events get run right. Some of the less competitive competitions have event supervisors who have only a casual acquaintance with the rules, or have the mindset that "this is a fun competition, so we're going to ignore the rules and just do what we want", which just makes the competition miserable - not only do you not have a level playing field, you don't even know where the playing field is.

[onshape]

Wow, thank you so much! I'll show this to my teammates who are doing it- I think they'll be relieved. No need to apologize for long responses haha- it's very much appreciated. One more thing though: for memorizing the specimens with their names, how do you particularly do it? (eg: physical flashcards, flashcards on quizlet, notes, etc)
thanks!

Since I'm a much better learner than a studier, I can't tell you for sure. I think quizlet would work for the ones you are unsure about. (Don't try physical flashcards unless they're printed because you won't be able to draw good tree images!) However, the first thing you want to do in terms of identification is find easy trees that you can obviously remember and stand out (e.g. sweetgum, ginkgo). These will probably take up 50% of the trees. Once you're down with the easy ones, find the trees that are hard to tell apart and try to find the differences between similar trees such as ones in the Pinaceae family (which is a super tough one.) Break it down into sections as it's too obvious telling the difference between White Oak and Northern White Cedar. You might have sets on Fagaceae and Pinaceae (maybe group with other pines), and other families that you find hard to tell apart. As for the ones that are considered easy, don't worry about them since you can already identify them!

Feel free to hop onto the Forestry question marathon to practice your knowledge as well! https://scioly.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=26075

[knightmoves]

and while this is a little late, i was wondering if anyone here had tips for not only starting a team, but also keeping it running- next year, i'm actually leaving the school (going to high school) and as i'm kind of the glue holding the team together, i hoping that i could get a few tips from other students who might undertook similar endeavors.

It sounds like you're asking how to keep your middle school team running while you're a high school freshman. Honestly, that's hard. High school is a pretty big jump from middle school - both in academics / expectations, and socially. Yes, the rules allow you to invite back 9th graders, and people do, but there's a difference between being invited back to help the team out, and trying to be the glue holding the team together again.

Practically, you need your teacher to take the lead on this - they need to be advertising it, and talking it up to their science classes, and doing all the management. I think the best thing to do is to tell your teacher that you're willing to help out next year, and then get back in touch when school starts again in the fall and remind them that you're willing to help out. You can provide encouragement like that without having to be the focal point.

[foxinni]

Don't think I agree. My team is not very good (we call qualifying for state a good result), but we compete against some of those hard core cutthroat schools. I've had some great interactions with some of their team members, and I've seen them having plenty of fun. They also take the competition seriously, and are trying to do their best, and continually looking for opportunities to improve, but they can have fun in the process.

I think the big advantage in competing in competitions with a bunch of hard-score schools is that the events get run right. Some of the less competitive competitions have event supervisors who have only a casual acquaintance with the rules, or have the mindset that "this is a fun competition, so we're going to ignore the rules and just do what we want", which just makes the competition miserable - not only do you not have a level playing field, you don't even know where the playing field is.

Hmm, true. I do think that what I mentioned above definitely doesn't apply to all the people on cutthroat teams- actually, I don't even think it applies to most of them, just a select few: but I also do know some of the people on the teams, and not all of them actually enjoy it. I think it comes with having a balance: taking the competition seriously and being a strong team, but also not letting that overtake your fun and enjoyment.

Your second point I completely agree with, however: something nice about being in CA for Scioly is the fact that it is considered an important thing and everything is taken quite seriously. We haven't had any lousy event experiences so far, which I'm very thankful for. It's unfortunate that doesn't follow through everywhere though :/

[foxinni]

Since I'm a much better learner than a studier, I can't tell you for sure. I think quizlet would work for the ones you are unsure about. (Don't try physical flashcards unless they're printed because you won't be able to draw good tree images!) However, the first thing you want to do in terms of identification is find easy trees that you can obviously remember and stand out (e.g. sweetgum, ginkgo). These will probably take up 50% of the trees. Once you're down with the easy ones, find the trees that are hard to tell apart and try to find the differences between similar trees such as ones in the Pinaceae family (which is a super tough one.) Break it down into sections as it's too obvious telling the difference between White Oak and Northern White Cedar. You might have sets on Fagaceae and Pinaceae (maybe group with other pines), and other families that you find hard to tell apart. As for the ones that are considered easy, don't worry about them since you can already identify them!

Feel free to hop onto the Forestry question marathon to practice your knowledge as well! https://scioly.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=26075

Again- thank you very much!

[foxinni]

It sounds like you're asking how to keep your middle school team running while you're a high school freshman. Honestly, that's hard. High school is a pretty big jump from middle school - both in academics / expectations, and socially. Yes, the rules allow you to invite back 9th graders, and people do, but there's a difference between being invited back to help the team out, and trying to be the glue holding the team together again.

Practically, you need your teacher to take the lead on this - they need to be advertising it, and talking it up to their science classes, and doing all the management. I think the best thing to do is to tell your teacher that you're willing to help out next year, and then get back in touch when school starts again in the fall and remind them that you're willing to help out. You can provide encouragement like that without having to be the focal point.

Yep, I agree. I think another point that I'm going to try addressing is our lack of parental support- it's not that the parents don't want to help, it's that the parents straight up don't KNOW what to help with or what Scioly needs. I think that we have a fair chance of continuing the team, though, because thankfully I found a group of very determined kids, who I think will be able to handle it without me having to worry about having to micromanage the team as a freshman.
Thanks for your response!

[foxinni]

It sounds like you're asking how to keep your middle school team running while you're a high school freshman. Honestly, that's hard. High school is a pretty big jump from middle school - both in academics / expectations, and socially. Yes, the rules allow you to invite back 9th graders, and people do, but there's a difference between being invited back to help the team out, and trying to be the glue holding the team together again.

Practically, you need your teacher to take the lead on this - they need to be advertising it, and talking it up to their science classes, and doing all the management. I think the best thing to do is to tell your teacher that you're willing to help out next year, and then get back in touch when school starts again in the fall and remind them that you're willing to help out. You can provide encouragement like that without having to be the focal point.

Yep, I agree. I think another point that I'm going to try addressing is our lack of parental support- it's not that the parents don't want to help, it's that the parents straight up don't KNOW what to help with or what Scioly needs. I think that we have a fair chance of continuing the team, though, because thankfully I found a group of very determined kids, who I think will be able to handle it without me having to worry about having to micromanage the team as a freshman.
Thanks for your response!

[foxinni]

It sounds like you're asking how to keep your middle school team running while you're a high school freshman. Honestly, that's hard. High school is a pretty big jump from middle school - both in academics / expectations, and socially. Yes, the rules allow you to invite back 9th graders, and people do, but there's a difference between being invited back to help the team out, and trying to be the glue holding the team together again.

Practically, you need your teacher to take the lead on this - they need to be advertising it, and talking it up to their science classes, and doing all the management. I think the best thing to do is to tell your teacher that you're willing to help out next year, and then get back in touch when school starts again in the fall and remind them that you're willing to help out. You can provide encouragement like that without having to be the focal point.

Yep, I agree. I think another point that I'm going to try addressing is our lack of parental support- it's not that the parents don't want to help, it's that the parents straight up don't KNOW what to help with or what Scioly needs. I think that we have a fair chance of continuing the team, though, because thankfully I found a group of very determined kids, who I think will be able to handle it without me having to worry about having to micromanage the team as a freshman.
Thanks for your response!