(Secaucus, NJ–January 13, 2020) A newly-minted Science Olympiad team at High Tech High School found success and signs of a promising future during their first competition, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, Principal at High Tech High School.
The fledgling team, led by HTHS Biology instructor Kimberly Bruan and coached by student Zahra’a Fardos (HTHS ‘21), is only three months old. Still, sophomore duo Sayuri Pfeiffer and Amanda Tennaro placed third for their work as “Disease Detectives” while the HTHS squad as a whole ranked 14th in the region overall. The competition took place at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) on Monday, January 6, 2020.
The team is comprised of students from all grades and majors at High Tech. Science Olympiad’s wide range of topics––including engineering, ornithology, geology, physics, genetic, and scientific literacy––aligns nicely with the diverse areas of study at High Tech, allowing students from all concentrations to participate and succeed.
For student-coach Zahra’a Fardos, the team’s first competition was a welcome return to form, saying: “Having competed in middle school, I was so happy that I could organize a new team at High Tech and win an award our first year.”
The win was not without effort, as freshman team member Michael Casais, ornithology specialist, added, “I like the competition but preparing was pretty stressful!”
Science Olympiad is an international non-profit organization whose events function as “academic track meets,” with students competing in small teams across a variety of topics utilizing teamwork and problem-solving skills.
