By: Nicholas Sathi ’20

         Following a rejuvenating Christmas vacation, Chaminade’s two Science Olympiad teams quickly shifted gears back into work-mode, participating at the Columbia High School Invitational on Saturday, January 5, in East Greenbush, N.Y.  Leaving school at around 1 P.M. on Friday, the students travelled to the Albany suburb via coach bus. Studying hard and preparing together for one last night, the teams, with a true sense of camaraderie, were in great shape going into the competition .

         After a very early start to the day, the students and club moderators had a quick breakfast and departed their hotel at around 7 A.M.  Arriving at Columbia shortly afterwards, they commenced an intense, competitive, fun-filled day of science! Events ran from 8:00 A.M. until 3:00 P.M., and the awards ceremony started at approximately 4:45 P.M.  In order to win a ribbon, students needed to place within the top six rankings in their events. Competing against over thirty respectable teams, the Chaminade team was in for a challenge of considerable difficulty. Performing exceptionally well, members of the varsity team collectively garnered fourteen ribbons from the twenty-three total events. Within this group, some students finished with impressive rankings. Aidan Creeron ’19 and Patrick Doyle ’20 placed 2nd in Anatomy and Physiology; Nicholas Newton ’19, Drew Kuroda ’19, and Mark Vincent Guevarra ’19 placed 2nd in Code Busters; Nicholas Newton ’19 and Mark Vincent Guevarra ’19 placed 1st in Astronomy; Nicholas Sathi ’20 and Jack Mannion ’20 placed 1st in Dynamic Planet. Several students from the junior varsity team came close by finishing in the top 10.

         Overall, the varsity group finished in 3rd place, an outstanding result and strong sign of improvement. Last year, the team finished in 5th place at this tournament.  The junior varsity team ended in 26th place, those students who competed are still recognized for their hard work and continued desire to learn and succeed.

         Content with his students’ results, Bro. Benjamin Knapp, S.M. ’93 said, “I am thrilled with Team A’s performance at Columbia, as 3rd is our best ever there, by two places. And we narrowly missed 2nd, by 2 points! The fact that we did so well, I think, bodes well for the rest of the season, provided that everyone continues working. While Team B placed only 26th, it was mostly freshmen who are still learning. Having so many freshmen lays a strong foundation for the future.”

         The next few weeks are very important for those involved in Science Olympiad. On January 26, they will compete at Yale University. The week after, they will participate in the Regional Tournament at which the varsity team plans on qualifying for the State Tournament in March. While the pressure is intense, the members of this club are prepared to  accomplish their goals, especially when one considers their amazing work ethic and dedication to success.