Science Olympiad is a STEM program with 6,300 teams of students across America. The program caters for students’ interest in STEM and provides workshops and competitions primarily aimed at middle school and high school students (though, they do provide material to Elementary students in Elementary Science Olympiad that encourage science). While STEM just stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Science Olympiad tournaments challenge students on multiple subjects related to those four main categories (rather than challenging students in only four categories). Division C participants (high school students) this year were given a range of 23 topics: from Codebusters, Helicopters, and Fossils to Disease Detectives, Potions and Poisons, and Metric Mastery. 

Recently on Saturday, March 15, Science Olympiad’s Regional Tournament was held at Etiwanda High School. Preparing for this was Ayala’s very own Science Olympiad club, run by President Ninad Moholkar (12) and competed by 14 out of the 30 club members. 

“A lot of stuff that we get in Science Olympiad is not very easy, so everyone is just on the grind all the time,” said club member Sarayu Medasani (11). “It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.” 

The way that participants compete in Science Olympiad tournaments vary between each category: some categories may require students to take tests and some categories may require students to do hands-on experimenting or building.

“During the tournament, I participated in an event called the Robot Tour where me and my teammate created a small robot that runs on a program that we also wrote,” said member Jacob Medel (12). “The goal was to have this robot function where it can move from square to square and reach marked points in this grid.”

 While the tournament’s challenges were held and reviewed in Etiwanda High School, the building category makes an exception which would allow participating students and their partners to construct their projects prior to the tournament. Medasani and her partner, Molly Miller (12), would put together devices. 

The event had a long building process and a long review, but at 7:30 all tests and projects were finished and judges’ decisions were made. At the school’s large, theater-like auditorium, participants and also a sea of viewers filed into the seats. Many were chattering over the categories whether it was hopeful or anxious. Silence would cut in following the presenter’s brief speech and the presentation of awards.

Ayala won 6th place in the categories of Air Trajectory and Write-it-Do-it, third place for geological mapping, and second place in ChemLab. While these awards were great achievements to the recipients, the purpose of the regionals (aside from promoting the pursuit for STEM) was to decide which schools would be eligible to proceed to the state tournament based on how many merits were given to a school; the first place winner was handed to Gray Oak and Ayala wasn’t able to make the top 6 that made eligible for state competition.

“Having done five events for the Science Olympiad, I was pretty happy with winning in two of the events even though it was in 6th place,” said winner Brandon Tse (12). “I was pretty happy since it was a pretty big accomplishment for our school, seeing as though we’re pretty much a really big underdog in the Inland Empire of Science Olympiad.”