Months of practicing for events such as feathered frenzy, crime busters and disease detectives paid off for two middle school Science Olympiad teams.

J.C. Booth Middle and Rising Starr Middle placed first and fifth, respectively, at the Georgia Science Olympiad last month in Augusta. To get to the state level, teams must win their regional tournaments. Schools with overall placements 1-5 receive trophies and plaques; first and second place teams advance to the international competition.

Science Olympiad teams spend countless hours outside of school preparing for tournaments, often practicing before and after school and on weekends. Both Rising Starr and Booth have won the international title for Georgia 10 out of the last 12 years. They are the only schools in the state that have won at the international event.

As Georgia’s first place finisher, Booth will represent the state at the International Science Olympiad at the University of Illinois in May. This marks the school’s 17th trip to the international event.