The Holmdel High School Science Olympiad team is heading to the Science Olympiad State Final tournament.
Science Olympiad is an international nonprofit organization devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers, according to a prepared statement from the school.
Though Holmdel’s seventh and eighth graders at William R. Satz School have been competing in the New Jersey Science Olympiad for more than 20 years, this is only the second year that the high school has fielded a team, and the first time they have qualified for the state final at Middlesex County College on March 13.
Comprised of students from all four grade levels, the teams compete in various science activities ranging from classroom exams, to labwork, to constructing and testing towers and wheeled vehicles, to incorporating all aspects of STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) in the preparation and execution of their tasks, according to the statement.
Science Olympiad Advisor Sean Dowd leads the 20-member team of students Amanda Ahteck, Katelynn Bunsee, Tyler Casas, Brian Chu, Sameer Erramilli, Rick Hsu, Alice Huang, Michael Kravets, Sam Lakritz, Ayan Lateef, Benjamin Lin, Jonathan Marty, Musa Shaikh, Audrey Su, Alexander Tsai, Nabiha Umar, David Wu, Bill Zhang, Claudia Zhang, Jason Zheng.
After last year’s team barely missed the cutoff, finishing in 11th place out of a field of 24 teams, the squad managed a 10th place finish this year out of a field of 25 teams, which was good enough for an entry in the state final in March, according to the statement.
For more information, visit www.holmdelschools.org/schools/holmdel-high-school-9-12.
Contact Vashti Harris at vharris@newspapermediagroup.com.
