History
41 seasons
🔹
6 national championships
🔹
5,000+ SCSO alumni
🔹
41 seasons 🔹 6 national championships 🔹 5,000+ SCSO alumni 🔹
State Champions
Regional Tournaments
South Carolina has sponsored regional tournaments in only one season, 2019. Prior to the state tournament, the first to be held at the Citadel in Charleston, two regional tournaments were held: the Newberry Regional, hosted by longtime state tournament host Newberry College, and the Citadel regional. The Newberry Regional champions were Irmo Middle School and May River High School, while the Citadel Regional was won by both eventual state champions: Clinton Middle School and Academic Magnet High School. After the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted Science Olympiad across the country in 2020, the regional tournament format was discontinued in favor of a return to the traditional system wherein all SCSO teams were able to compete directly for a state championship.
State Directors
South Carolina has been led by five state directors throughout its history.
Dr. Dalton Gossett, 1985–1986
Dalton Gossett was the coordinator of the first two editions of the South Carolina Science Olympiad, held at Newberry College in 1985 and 1986. At the time of the first competition, Gossett was a professor of biology at Newberry and chaired the school’s biology department. He was made dean of academic affairs in August of that year. He earned a B.S. and M.S. from Texas State University and holds a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University. He joined the faculty at Newberry in 1974. After departing Newberry to teach biology at Louisiana State University Shreveport, Gossett founded the North Louisiana Regional Science Olympiad Tournament in April 1989. At that time, he was already chair of the biology department and he retired as associate dean for arts and sciences. Today, he is a published author and a shepherd at the University Church of Christ in Shreveport.
George J. Renwick, 1986–1997
George Renwick led the organization through some of its most formative years. He graduated from Newberry College in 1954 and went on to earn a Master’s degree from Alabama College (now the University of Montevallo). He joined Newberry’s faculty in 1967 as an associate professor of biology. He was named professor of the year in 1974 and was promoted to assistant professor in 1977. Following his retirement, he was named professor emeritus. In addition to his work with Science Olympiad at the state level, he was a national event supervisor. He sadly passed away on July 14, 2004, at the age of 71. In 2005, the SCSO sportsmanship award was renamed to honor him and his massive contributions to the program.
Dr. Bret Clark, 1997–2018
Bret Clark ran the first of his twenty-one SCSO state tournaments in 1998 after taking over for Mr. Renwick at the start of that academic year. He earned a B.S. from Furman University in 1988 and a Ph.D. from the Medical College of Georgia seven years later. That same year, he joined the faculty at Newberry College as an assistant professor of biology and has since been promoted to assistant and full professor. Since 2017, he has been chair of the department of sciences and mathematics and he is currently serving as dean of sciences, mathematics, and pre-professional studies in addition to his teaching role.
Dr. Jennifer Albert, 2018–2024
Upon SCSO’s move to the lowcountry prior to the 2019 season, Dr. Jennifer Albert was named South Carolina’s fourth state director. Albert, the director of the STEM Center of Excellence at the Citadel and an associate professor in the Zucker Family School of Education, earned a B.S. from North Carolina State University in 2003 and an M.A. from Austin Peay State University two years later. In 2012, she completed her Ph.D. at NC State and shortly after completed a postdoc there. A former coach and event supervisor at regionals and state in North Carolina, Dr. Albert ran SCSO for five state tournaments (with 2020 canceled due to COVID-19).
Patrick Nelson, 2024–present
Patrick Nelson was named SCSO’s fifth state director on July 30, 2024, two months after SCSO’s move back to the upstate was announced. Nelson, an SCSO alum, earned a B.S. from Centre College and is currently a graduate student at the University of South Carolina studying for a M.S. in Epidemiology. He is the founder and tournament director of the Centre College invitational, which ran in 2023, and has served as an event supervisor for invitational and state tournaments in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Kentucky.
Team-by-Team History
Detailed tournament information has been lost for all tournaments 1985—91, 1996, and 1995 Division B. Full participation information and results are known for all other tournaments.
Division B
Academy of Teaching and Learning (Chester) ➤
A.L. Corbett Middle School (Wagener) ➤
Bamberg-Ehrhardt Middle School (Bamberg) ➤
Banks Trail Middle School (Fort Mill) ➤
Bates Middle School (Sumter) ➤
Batesburg-Leesville Middle School ➤
Bell Street Middle School (Clinton) ➤
Ben Lippen School (Columbia) ➤
Boiling Springs Middle School (Inman) ➤
Cario Middle School (Mt. Pleasant) ➤
Carvers Bay Middle STEAM Academy (Hemingway) ➤
Charleston Charter School for Math and Science ➤
Crayton Middle School (Columbia) ➤
CrossRoads Intermediate School (Columbia) ➤
D.R. Hill Middle School (Lyman) ➤
Daniel Island School (Charleston) ➤
Dawkins Middle School (Moore) ➤
Dutch Fork Middle School (Irmo) ➤
E.L. Wright Middle School (Columbia) ➤
E.P. Todd Middle School (Spartanburg) ➤
Fairforest Middle School (Spartanburg) ➤
Fort Johnson Middle School (Charleston) ➤
Frances Mack Intermediate School (Gaston) ➤
Fulmer Middle School (West Columbia) ➤
Gable Middle School (Roebuck) ➤
Gaffney Middle School ➤
Gettys Middle School (Easley) ➤
Gold Hill Middle School (Fort Mill) ➤
Greenville Middle Academy ➤
GREEN Charter Middle School (Greenville) ➤
Guinyard-Butler Middle School (Barnwell) ➤
Hand Middle School (Columbia) ➤
Heathwood Hall Episcopal School (Columbia) ➤
Holly Hill-Roberts Middle School (Holly Hill) ➤
Honea Path Middle School ➤
Irmo Middle School ➤
Kelly Mill Middle School (Blythewood) ➤
Kennedy Middle School (Aiken) ➤
Laing Middle School of Science and Technology (Mt. Pleasant) ➤
Lakeview Middle School (Greenville) ➤
Landrum Middle School ➤
Langston Charter Middle School (Greenville) ➤
Loris Middle School ➤
Martha Dendy Middle School (Clinton) ➤
Mason Preparatory School (Charleston) ➤
McCormick Middle School ➤
McCracken Middle School (Spartanburg) ➤
Meadow Glen Middle School (Lexington) ➤
Mid-Carolina Middle School (Prosperity) ➤
Morningside Middle School (North Charleston) ➤
Myrtle Beach Middle School ➤
Newberry Academy ➤
Newberry Middle School ➤
Northside Middle School (Greenwood) ➤
North Myrtle Beach Middle School ➤
Orangeburg Preparatory Schools ➤
Palmetto Middle School (Williamston) ➤
Palmetto Academy for Learning and Success (Myrtle Beach) ➤
Paul Knox Middle School (North Augusta) ➤
Pelion Middle School ➤
Pine Ridge Middle School (West Columbia) ➤
Pleasant Hill Middle School (Lexington) ➤
Pleasant Knoll Middle School (Fort Mill) ➤
Robert Smalls International Academy (Beaufort) ➤
School of the Minds ➤
Socastee Middle School (Myrtle Beach) ➤
South Middle School (Lancaster) ➤
St. James-Santee Elementary-Middle School (McClellanville) ➤
Stover Middle School (Elgin) ➤
Summit Parkway Middle School (Columbia) ➤
W.G. Sanders Middle School (Columbia) ➤
Whale Branch Middle School (Seabrook) ➤
White Knoll Middle School (West Columbia) ➤
Whittemore Park Middle School (Conway) ➤
Division C
Academic Magnet High School (Charleston) ➤
Aiken Scholars Academy ➤
Airport High School (West Columbia) ➤
Ben Lippen School (Columbia) ➤
Belton-Honea Path High School (Honea Path) ➤
Berea High School (Greenville) ➤
Berkeley High School (Moncks Corner) ➤
Blackville-Hilda High School (Blackville) ➤
Bluffton High School ➤
Blythewood High School ➤
Brookland-Cayce High School (Cayce) ➤
Carolina High School (Greenville) ➤
Catawba Ridge High School (Fort Mill) ➤
Chapin High School ➤
Charleston Charter School for Math and Science ➤
Chester High School ➤
Clinton High School ➤
Clover High School ➤
Coastal Leadership Academy (Myrtle Beach) ➤
Cross Schools (Bluffton) ➤
Daniel High School (Central) ➤
Dixie High School (Due West) ➤
Dorman High School (Roebuck) ➤
Dutch Fork High School (Irmo) ➤
East Clarendon Middle-High School (Turbeville) ➤
Fairfield Central High School (Winnsboro) ➤
Fort Dorchester High School (North Charleston) ➤
Goose Creek High School ➤
Greenwood High School ➤
GREEN Charter High School (Greenville) ➤
Governor’s School for Math and Science (Hartsville) ➤
Hartsville High School ➤
Heathwood Hall Episcopal School (Columbia) ➤
Holly Hill-Roberts High School (Holly Hill) ➤
Irmo High School ➤
J.L. Mann High School (Greenville) ➤
Lake Marion High School (Santee) ➤
Lancaster High School ➤
Lewisville High School (Richburg) ➤
Lexington High School ➤
Lower Richland High School (Hopkins) ➤
Lucy Beckham High School (Mt. Pleasant) ➤
Lugoff-Elgin High School (Lugoff) ➤
Marion High School ➤
Mayo High School for Math, Science, and Technology (Darlington) ➤
May River High School (Bluffton) ➤
McCormick High School ➤
Mid-Carolina High School (Prosperity) ➤
Midland Valley High School (Graniteville) ➤
Newberry High School ➤
North Augusta High School ➤
North Central High School (Kershaw) ➤
North Charleston High School ➤
Oakbrook Preparatory School (Spartanburg) ➤
Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School (Orangeburg) ➤
Pelion High School ➤
Porter-Gaud School (Charleston) ➤
Richland Northeast High School (Columbia) ➤
Ridge View High School (Columbia) ➤
Riverside High School (Greer) ➤
River Bluff High School (Lexington) ➤
Saluda High School ➤
Scholars’ Academy High School (Conway) ➤
Socastee High School (Myrtle Beach) ➤
Southside High School (Greenville) ➤
Spring Hill High School (Chapin) ➤
Spring Valley High School (Columbia) ➤
Stratford High School (Goose Creek) ➤
Strom Thurmond High School (Johnston) ➤
Swansea High School ➤
T.L. Hanna High School (Anderson) ➤
Waccamaw High School (Pawleys Island) ➤
Wagener-Salley High School (Wagener) ➤
Walhalla High School ➤
Westside High School (Anderson) ➤
West Ashley High School (Charleston) ➤
White Knoll High School (Lexington) ➤
Whitmire High School ➤
Wilson High School (Florence) ➤
Woodruff High School ➤