Neratovice, February 12, 2019 – Spolana Neratovice and Gymnázium Václava Třebízského in Slaný and the Fire Rescue Service of the Central Bohemian Region have launched the second annual chemistry competition, “A Challenge for a Chemist”. It is designed to engage eighth- and ninth-graders at the primary school level in the districts of Mělník and Kladno. It will be attended by 17 teams of five from 11 schools. The contest is made up of three stages and the finals will be held on the premises of Spolana Neratovice on April 25 where the top three teams will take part in an all-day programme full of experiments and experience.
“We organize the content to raise children´s interest in chemistry, so we are excited about the great interest of students and teachers. For us, it is evidence that they enjoyed the first year of this science and entertaining challenge. In the first round, the competitors will work on assignments at their schools. The best five teams will move on to the second stage that will take place on the premises of a secondary school in Slaný where they will also meet fire fighters from Central Bohemia and representatives of the Laborky.cz project,“ said Miroslav Falta, Executive of Spolana, and added: “Three winning teams from the second round will compete in the final third round held on the premises of Spolana Neratovice.” Members of the winning team will get tablets, rucksacks and head lamps. A reward will also go to the school which registered the winning team – it will receive a gift cheque for chemical laboratory equipment worth CZK 10,000.
Description of the competition
In the first, online round, the attending teams are to implement an assigned chemical experiment using red cabbage to determine acidity and basicity of individual substances. Their task is to record their results and upload a video recording of their experiment on the competition’s website. In addition, they need to complete a knowledge test. All of this must be done within 30 days. The top five teams will progress to the second round. It will be held on March 23 and the selected teams will have to fulfil tasks focused on the quickness of mind as well as on the general knowledge about safe handling of chemicals. It will also include an interesting experiment to be tried directly in a chemical laboratory. Three winning teams from the second round will fight in the finals that will take place on the premises of Spolana Neratovice on April 25, 2019. They will take part in an all-day programme full of experiments and interesting experience.
Last year, the trophy for the first chemical competition went to the students from Vodárenská Primary School in Kladno who fought in a team named “Sedmička III”.