The Barrington High School Science Olympiad team is going to nationals. That is great news and worth plastering all over the Barrington Booster Board at the intersection of County Road and Federal.

But there’s a catch: The trip to nationals is not cheap. 

Each team member needs to come up with hundreds of dollar to cover the cost of traveling from Providence to Nebraska next month. 

The team started its fund-raising campaign (which is likely more difficult than most of the actual Science Olympiad events) with a trip to the Barrington Shaw’s Supermarket last weekend. Team members stood outside the store and politely asked customers if they would be willing to support the trip to nationals. 

As generous as this community can be during a Saturday afternoon trip to the grocery store, it is hard to imagine that loose change and folded up dollar bills are going to provide enough support to send a 16-member team to Lincoln, Neb. this May. 

There has got to be a better way. 

During an interview with the team last week, Barrington students daydreamed about the prospects of finding a local resident, possibly one with a background in science, who was willing to step up and sponsor the team. And by sponsor they mean foot the entire bill for the trip to nationals. 

“We’re looking for a rich billionaire,” said BHS Science Olympiad Co-Captain Rahul Yehiya, half-joking. “It’s going to be a very expensive trip, unfortunately. But it is every year. And of course we have to prepare. So we’ll be studying…”

That point is worth noting — while some teams from other high schools are preparing for the national competition with studying and quizzing and extra coaching, our Barrington High School students will be standing in a parking lot with coffee cans, politely asking their neighbors for a couple bucks. 

The team has also set up a GoFundMe page (see the QR code). 

When the school district finishes its work replacing the terribly out-dated Victory Field athletic complex (a big thanks to the school committee for making that happen this year!), we hope officials can take a few minutes to consider fund-raising alternatives for Barrington High School teams that qualify for national competitions. (We just learned that the BHS LifeSmarts team returned from a national competition in Chicago recently.)  

In the meantime, we wish the Barrington High School Science Olympiad students “good luck” as they battle for first place at nationals.