Article by Lourdes Rohan ’18:
Over the past two months, the members of Science Olympiad have been hard at work. While studying incessantly and competing tirelessly, these students have been harnessing their passions and leading the teams to success. Our Science Olympians participate in a wide array of events from Tower Building to Microbiology and test their knowledge in competition against other schools on the invitational, regional, and state level.
In December the Science Olympiad A and B-Teams competed in the Long Island Invitational held at Islip High School. Despite the snow and rescheduling, the A-Team pulled a dazzling 5th place win out of 42 teams.
In January the Science Olympiad season was in full swing with 3 total Invitationals attended.
On Friday, January 5th, 2018 the A and B-Teams traveled to Esopus, NY to shadow and study with students at the Mount Academy. The next day the Firebirds claimed one of their most impressive wins of the season: 1st Place at the Columbia HS Invitational out of 33 teams, some ranked best in the state of New York. The Science Olympiad B-Team also competed and came in 29th.
The following Thursday, the A- and B-Teams made the trek to Dayton, Ohio to visit the Marianist University of Dayton and enjoy a day of fun before competing at the Northmont High School Invitational on Saturday, January 13th. Despite the snowy weather, the A-Team brought the heat placing 2nd overall, just barely relinquishing 1st to a nationally ranked team. Medals were won by every member of the team in every event. Many medals were also won by every member of the B-Team which placed 10th overall.
A week of respite followed but, because science sleeps for no one, our Science Olympiad teams continued to build, study, calibrate, and research all in preparation for the next three weeks of competitions.
The hard work of our students certainly continued to pay off at the Yale University Invitational where the A-Team placed an unbelievable 7th place overall out of 47 of the best Science Olympiad teams in the Northeast. The B-Team also came in an impressive 28th at this renowned Ivy League Invitational.
After months of anticipation, the day for the Nassau West Regional Competition arrived and our Firebirds did not disappoint. Kellenberg Memorial High School had 3 teams compete on the Regional: A-Team, B-Team, and C-Team, placing 2nd, 10th, and 23rd overall, respectively. As the 2nd best Science Olympiad Team in the Region, the KMHS Science Olympiad A-Team has qualified to attend the New York State Competition for the 22nd year in a row and earned their chance to possibly gain a spot in this year’s National Competition. The New York State competition will be held at Lemoyne College in Syracuse, NY on March 11th and 12th.
Finally, this past weekend the A and B-Teams traveled to Pennsylvania for the Tiger Invitational. The A-Team swept the competition, earning their second 1st place win of the season. The B-Team also welcomed some fresh new faces and enjoyed the day, cheering each other on with enthusiasm.
Through it all, the members of Science Olympiad have made some of the closest friendships and learned an abundance of lessons in life, as well as science. Through the season is over for many, Club Presidents and A-Team Captains Polly Taylor and Lourdes Rohan hope all Science Olympians continue to explore the beauty of God’s creation through the study of science for many years to come. Good luck to our A-Team with their preparation for the New York State Competition.
The following Science Olympians have medaled in their respective concentrations, many times in pools of over 30 schools.
Bolded place numbers represent the student’s Regional ranking.
A-Team
Captain Polly Taylor (’18):
- Dynamic Planet- 5, 6, 3, 2, 1
- Ecology- 2, 1, 2
- Rocks and Minerals- 5
- Astronomy- 4
Captain Lourdes Rohan (’18):
- Anatomy and Physiology- 6, 2, 4, 1
- Microbe Mission- 6, 4, 2, 3
- Disease Detectives- 3, 3, 4, 2
- Herpetology- 4
Zharee Richards (’18):
- Material Science- 1, 4, 8, 1
- Forensics- 1, 3, 2
- Thermodynamics- 5
Claire DeMarco (’18):
- Towers- 7, 5, 7, 7
- Helicopters- 3, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1
- Experimental Design- 3, 2, 2
- Thermodynamics- 5, 1
Owen Haffner (’18):
- Mousetrap Vehicle- 1, 1, 1, 3, 1, 1
- Helicopters- 3, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1
- Hovercraft- 2, 2, 3, 1, 1
- Mission Possible- 2, 4, 3, 1, 1
Aidan Dowd (’18):
- Herpetology- 3, 4, 1, 2, 2
- Ecology- 2, 1, 2
- Optics- 5
- Game On- 4, 6, 1, 5
Faith O’Connor (’18):
- Experimental Design- 3, 2, 2
- Optics- 5, 4
- Fermi Questions- 5, 2, 4
- Game On- 4, 6, 1, 5
- Science Bowl- 1
- Dynamic Planet- 1
Natalie Jean-Michel (’19):
- Rocks and Minerals- 5, 3, 1, 1
- Material Science- 4, 8, 1
- Remote Sensing- 3
Francesca Morales (’19):
- Experimental Design- 3, 2, 2
- Anatomy and Physiology- 6, 2, 4, 1
- Mousetrap Vehicle- 1, 1, 3, 1, 1
Chelsea Faith-Florita (’19):
- Herpetology- 3, 1, 2, 2
- Rocks and Minerals- 5, 3, 1, 1
- Astronomy- 3, 1
Tyler Martinus (’19):
- Remote Sensing- 4, 4, 3
- Fermi Questions- 3, 2, 1
- Astronomy- 2
- Disease Detectives- 5
Paul Bartolemea (’20):
- Fermi Questions- 5, 5, 2, 4, 1
- Remote Sensing- 3, 3, 1, 2
- Hovercraft- 2, 2, 3, 1, 1
- Mission Possible- 2, 4, 3, 1, 1
- Material Science- 1
- Science Bowl- 1
- Astronomy- 5
- Thermodynamics- 1
Monika Sweeney (’20):
- Disease Detectives- 3, 3, 4, 2
- Write it Do it- 2, 2, 4
- Towers- 5, 7, 7
Aidan York (’20):
- Dynamic Planet- 5, 6, 3, 1, 2, 1
- Remote Sensing- 3, 4, 1, 2
- Astronomy- 4, 5, 3, 1
- Rocks and Minerals- 5
- Science Bowl- 1
Caitlyn Barnwell (’20):
- Forensics- 1, 3, 2
- Microbe Mission- 6, 4, 2, 3
- Write it Do it- 2, 2, 4
B Team
Captain Ally Klapak (’18):
- Experimental Design- 4
Captain Kerry Schiller (’18):
- Experimental Design- 4
- Remote Sensing- 3
Captain Kaitlyn Romaine (’18):
- Dynamic Planet- 5
- Herpetology- 3, 8
- Experimental Design- 4
Erica Casereno (’18):
- Disease Detectives- 5
- Rocks and Minerals- 6
- Ecology- 4
- Herpetology- 8
Ara San Antonio (’22):
- Towers- 5
Andre Asarian (’20):
- Towers- 5
Caitlin Fenton (’18):
- Remote Sensing- 4
- Dynamic Planet- 5
- Herpetology- 3
Meaghan O’Keefe (’21)
- Fermi Questions- 5
Sarah Narcisse (’19):
- Mission Possible- 7
Breana Stones (’19):
- Mission Possible- 7
Yamilay Andre (’20):
- Fermi Questions- 2
C Team
Captain Gio Pupo (’18):
- Remote Sensing- 8
Colin Donnelly (’21):
- Optics- 8
Isabella Rajkovic (’21):
- Optics- 8
Olivia Tymon (’21):
- Mission Possible- 8