With AP exam season drawing ever closer, students are eager to get their hands on test prep and textbooks to study for their exams. Hosting the second Super Scoring with SciOly event, the Arcadia High School (AHS) Science Olympiad team was able to help dozens of AHS students prepare for their upcoming tests.
The idea of this event was first created last year; when the sale showed immediate success, the Science Olympiad officers decided to try and make the event an annual activity for the academic team. This year, the event was held during lunch in the Rally Court on Apr. 8, 10, and 12, with upbeat music helping to draw in students interested in browsing the tables for a book that might catch their eye.
“Super Scoring with SciOly is a good way to encourage students to study by offering preparation books [in good condition] at very low prices,” said junior Emily Chien, Treasurer of Science Olympiad. “It also serves the dual purpose of helping upperclassmen who no longer need the books, to clear space on their bookshelves while doing a good deed for the next generation of scholars.”
The large variety of books, ranging from novels to SAT prep books, were all sold for less than $8 each. These textbooks were donated to Science Olympiad, allowing the knowledge of AHS students to pass from each graduating class to the next.
“I was motivated to purchase a novel and a Level 3 Chinese Practice book by my uncontrollable impulses,” said sophomore Rachel Yuan. “I didn’t want to walk away empty-handed, and it was very fulfilling to leave with books.”
Many of the books that were donated contained small notes and doodles of previous students, with additional information or important facts highlighted to ensure that no knowledge is overlooked by the new owner of the book.
“I don’t think purchasing books is necessary since it has the same information [as an online textbook], but if you are easily distracted it might help to have the [physical edition] so you don’t go web surfing,” said Yuan.
In total, Science Olympiad made over $220 with this event, all of which “are used to support Science Olympiad’s competition costs and help cover materials fees our engineering events use,” said Chien.
By creating this new tradition of passing academic textbooks down from one student to the next, Science Olympiad brought together students of all grade levels and collected their knowledge so that it can be shared among peers in an efficient and low-cost way.
