Area Students Ready For Science Olympiad

By John Larson

SOCORRO – The brightest students from Socorro High School, Sarracino Middle School, and Cottonwood Valley Charter School will be testing their knowledge and skills this weekend at the 24th annual Science Olympiad at New Mexico Tech.
The games begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 20.
Socorro High School is entering the event with several seasoned pros, with the addition of four new members. Spokesman for the team, Trey Thunborg, said his team should do well in both written and building events.
“I think we’re going to be pretty strong again this year,” Thunborg said. “Everybody is working hard on their events.”

The Socorro High team boasts the talents and brains of Tim Abeyta, Mariah Anaya, Siddhartha “Squid” Dhawan, Jonathan Haede, Leroy Lopez, Sarah McLain, Brian Melanson, Mariah Otero, Moaaz Soliman, Cody Sonnenfeld, Trey Thunborg, Kaitlin Warden, and Brittani Webb. Their teacher/coach is Jared Kempton.
In the middle school division, Cottonwood Valley Charter School came out of the regional tournament in Silver City last month as a formidable competitor.
Nancy Engler, teacher/coach of the Charter School team feels good about going into the state tournament.
“The team is strong overall,” Engler said. “Cottonwood came in second in the regionals at Silver, missing first place only by two points.”

Charter School team members include: Ariel Dillon, Will Benson, Sarah Frail, Alq Fuierer, Dushan Gacanich, Anjik Ghosh, Maggie Kerkmans, Matthew Lassey, Kate Magedova, Jenna Melanson, Tionne Molina, Seamus Parker, River Van Riper, Jacobi Walsh, Karl Young, and Alice Zhang.
At Sarracino Middle School, assistant coach Jeff Tull said he and coach Amanda McCleary have great hopes for that school’s team.
“The kids are really into it this year,” Tull said. “They like the academics of it all.”

Members of the Saracino team include Julie Aster, Camilla Aitbryev, Melanie Chavez, Elias Flores, Clayton Forbes, Halley Forbes, Freddy Lam, Ashly Nash, Swaraj Pand, Chynna Pearson, Alizabeth Saenz, Greg Stover, and Ivy Stover,
Both middle and high school students will pit their skills against other high schools in 23 subjects within the disciplines of Earth and Space Science; Physical Science And Chemistry; Technology and Engineering; Life, Personal, and Social Science; and Inquiry and The Nature Of Science.
Each team can have up to 15 members, with two “intelletes” competing in most competitions. The winning team earns 20 points; second-place earns 19 and the 20th place team gets 1 point. The team with the most points takes home the state title and a trip to the national competition.
Science Olympiad State Director Tony Ortiz stated that the event allows academically gifted students to excel, earn recognition and explore different potential career paths.
“This event promises to be a full day of fun and excitement for these students,” he said. “These competitors are the brightest young people in New Mexico. They’re here to compete and win, but we’ll make sure they enjoy themselves too.”

Photos by John Larson.

Area Students Ready For Science Olympiad