For the first time, the Yorktown High School Science Olympiad team not only qualified for the State Tournament but also made history by winning first place at the Lower Hudson Valley Regional competition. The exciting victory earned the team a spot at the state tournament to be held on March 17-18 at Le Moyne College in Syracuse. The Lower Hudson Valley Regional Champions competed on February 4 at Byram Hills High School in more than 22 testing, building, and lab events—ranging from astronomy to remote sensing—beating 47 other teams.
Earth Science teacher Mr. Agosta, who coaches the team along with Chemistry teacher Mr. Downing said the victory is a testament to the students’ dedication.
“Our region is one of the toughest regions in the state,” Mr. Agosta said. “The students are driven, and they’re hardworking.”
“We came very close to qualifying for States last year. It feels euphoric that this year we not only qualified for states but placed first overall,” stated Mr. Downing. “The kids have been working hard this season and what really led to our success is that every member of the team placed well.”
The Science Olympiad is a national organization that combines the thrill of competition with the joy of learning. The students participate in 23 team events, testing their knowledge in various science disciplines, as well as their building skills in hands-on challenges. Each team can have up to 15 members, with a maximum of seven seniors.
Students have the opportunity to compete in various events pertaining to the fields of science, including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. These events are either knowledge-based, hands-on, or engineering-based (participants construct a device before the competition to do specified tasks on the day of the competition).
During COVID-19, the number of people interested in the Science Olympiad was dwindling. However, this year two teams were sent to represent Yorktown in the tournament. This was the first time in three years that the tournament was held in-person due to COVID restrictions.
Already a very strong performer in engineering-based building events, the hope was to medal high enough to qualify for states. This year all students exceeded expectations by performing extraordinarily well in both building and testing events. Yorktown earned top spots in almost all events. This was made possible by extensive dedication and commitment. Mr. Agosta recalls, “The Olympians were in my room every day after school, just studying or building.”
During this preseason preparation, students created fond memories as a team and learned how to collaborate with one another.
An Olympian recalls, “For me, the memories from Science Olympiad was not just the final competition. I really enjoyed getting to know new people and learning from one another.”
The coaches fondly remember how on February 4, one of the coldest days this year, all the team members went to the school at six in the morning to get ready before the competition, which showed their diligence and commitment.
The Yorktown High School Science Olympians will be heading off to the state tournament in March. We wish them the best of luck at the state tournament and look forward to seeing their continued success.
The Yorktown High School Science Olympiad Team Members include:
Freshmen:
Akhil Bollimpalli
Aryan Shenoy
Jack Falk
Jacob Jinu
Jashvi Desai
Johannes Soltau
Max Paul
Mikayla Bidlack
Selma Lyons
Siddharth Nair
Vaishnavi Ravindranath
Sophomores:
Amani Gupta
Chinmayi Goyal
Ivy Chacko
Karen Yang
Ryan Lee
Sonia Eddolls
Srinatha Duri
Stavros Shafik
Victoria Guzman
Juniors:
Akshyasree Ravi
Arjun Manu
Devesh Dubey
Eric Song
Kevin Griffiths
Sofia Lam
Seniors:
Ashley Song
Nathan Gutierrez
Raka Bose
