Over a thousand high school students from all over the Kern High School District met at Bakersfield College for the 24th annual Physics Olympics on April 27 to compete in various physics events.

The Physics Olympics take place annually during the spring at the BC campus.

The event, which is sponsored by Chevron and KHSD, consists of many competitions, such as the egg drop, straw tower, paper airplanes, centripetal force, among many other events. Some experiments are things that the students build before attending the Olympics, or some may choose to only do projects that consist of calculations and labs.

“It helps them bring what they’ve learned in the classroom to life,” said Kyle Wylie, a history teacher at South High who was helping out during the egg-drop event.

“It’s about taking basic elements and design without using gas, energy, or combustion,” said Wylie.

The Physics Olympics help students understand to use the things they have learned in the classroom in real-life situations. Students are also excited to make the projects and participate in the many events that take place.

“It’s pretty cool, [there are] so many events and you’re competing with different schools in the district,” said Centennial High School student Ashley Soren, 16.

Soren said she enjoyed all of the events, but her favorite one was the paper tower.

“I never knew you could make a tower that tall out of paper,” said Soren.

Other students felt excited but also felt nervous about the different competitions. Rakhi Bhalla, 17; Jossi Khosa, 18; and Rodrigo Medina, 18, participated in the egg drop.

“We were so nervous, but then our egg didn’t break,” said Bhalla of the competition. “It was really fun.”

After the events, some students were able to participate in the Super Quiz.

The Super Quiz was a way to conclude the event.

Each high school picks a group of nine students to take the physics quiz that consists of 24 multiple-choice questions. The group with the most correct answers wins the competition for their school.