The Science Olympiad (SciOly) team competed in its first tournament at Temple City High School Jan. 28. SciOly is a team of over 30 members who train throughout the year to compete against other schools in various science-related topics.

The SciOly Team A placed 35th out of 77 schools, and Team B placed 46th out of 77. Markenever Dai ’26 and Frank Zhang ’24 medaled for first in the Bridge event, Luke Collins ’24 and Oren Hartstein ’24 medaled for seventh place in “Write It CAD It,” Collins and Chris Robertson ’24 medaled for fourth place in cybersecurity and Katherine Shen ’25 and Sky Stubbeman ’25 medaled for ninth in the “Write It Do It” event.

SciOly co-leader and co-founder Helena Wu ’23 the said she and Wang started the club sophomore year after participating in SciOly at their previous school. Wu said she is impressed with the growth of the team.

“We started with one team of around 15 members on Zoom in my sophomore year,” Wu said. “In my junior year, [our team] grew to two teams of over 30 members and even qualified for the States tournament. Science Olympiad has seen massive improvement, and I could not be prouder of our progress.”

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, Science Olympiad tournaments were moved online until the end of last year. Wu said the return of in-person events enhanced the experience of competitions, allowing for a more engaging learning experience.

“Last year, Olivia and I helped plan the San Marino Invitationals, which was the only in-person competition of the year,” Wu said. “This season, we’re doing all competitions in person now, so transitioning to being able to go to the event is very exciting. We were also able to see the other schools’ teams, so I hope being in an environment with other dedicated scientists our age can be inspiring and a learning experience for all of us.”