Science Olympiad Takes Home Honors in Air Trajectory and Ecology
The team took home multiple honors at the Science Olympiad regional competition. Photo: Afzal Akhtar
By LIZI SOKHADZE
The Science Olympiad Team has wrapped up yet another successful year. Amongst entrants from 52 schools, juniors Gautam Saji and Zongle Yang won fourth place in Air Trajectory, and Afzal Akhtar and Zahaib Malik won fifth place in Ecology.
The regional Science Olympiad competition in February at Grover Cleveland High School had multiple parts to it. “Some are test-based, some are hands-on, and some require building a structure or machine beforehand and bringing it to the event,” explained Ms. Zoe Piccolo, one of the club’s supervisors.
The Science Olympiad hosts events for every interest, including chemistry, the earth’s structure, and microbiology. For those who enjoy STEM field topics, there are many building activities such as tower design and flight engineering.
For the air trajectory event in the build category, Yang and Saji collaborated throughout the year to build a machine that would shoot a projectile at a specific target.
Last but not least, for students who appreciate critical thinking, there are activities like Fermi Questions, where students estimate quantities, and Code Busters, where students decode messages, that require the ability to think creatively.
Ms. Piccolo and Mr. Christopher Buonocore, two science teachers, advise the students.
“I started as a stand-in supervisor last year and took on the club in a more serious way this year,” said Ms. Piccolo. “We are also learning as coaches and have learned a lot about how to prep students for events next year.”
Ashlee Chen ‘24, the current club president said, “During my time in Science Olympiad, I have made some of the best friendships; we’ve grown to make the club seem united together like a family.”
“Throughout club meetings and competitions, there was never a point in the year when the club would’ve flowed well if not for the collaborative efforts and teamwork of every member and leader alongside myself,” said Chen. “Each partnership focuses on their events and activities, such as Anatomy or Forensics, but ultimately, we always strive to work together to see the team as a whole succeed.”
“Science Olympiad is by far the best club I have ever been a part of,” said Afzal Akhtar ‘25, the upcoming club president. “I have made many new friends, learned more about topics I am interested in, and helped bring the club some victories.”
One of Akhtar’s aspirations for next year is to “lead Midwood past regionals and into state competitions,” he said. Akhtar plans to expand the number of events students participate in, improve the team’s competition readiness, and provide multiple study resources and schedules team members can follow to ace their events.
Similarly, Ms. Piccolo and Mr. Buonocore plan to start doing more of the events the competitions host within club time.
Chen said, “As a senior graduating this year, it's a bittersweet feeling to move on to the next chapter of my life, but having been able to take part in this experience in high school is something I will truly never forget.”