On Saturday, January 25th, Hinsdale South’s Science Olympiad team competed at the Crystal Lake Central Invitational, one of the largest invitationals in Illinois, with 56 teams from various schools participating. South’s varsity team emerged victorious, placing first out of the 20 teams in their division, and ninth out of the 56 total teams. 

So, what exactly happens at Science Olympiad?

Science Olympiad is an organization that hosts academic competitions. At these competitions, teams of students compete in science events in different categories, with some events involving building robots, taking tests on chemistry or biology topics, or designing experiments. The different events require various kinds of preparation.

“The competition is an MCQ and an FRQ, and a lab,” said junior Aidan Yen, who placed first in the Chemistry Lab event on Saturday, along with his partner, junior Rishi Joshi. “[To prepare] we study chem and do practices with Snider.”

Multiple students mentioned Mr. Snider, South’s AP Chemistry teacher, as a factor in their success. Sophomore Kristina Giannakopoulos, who competed in the Write It Do It event, where participants have to work together to build an object from the description alone, had similar comments.

“He makes us practice a lot,” said Giannakopoulos. “One time, he made us practice drawing different length lines, like from one to ten centimeters … it definitely made us better.”

The hours of practice and hard work have paid off. Members of the club say that the competitions are fun as well as challenging, and their scientific knowledge and teamwork skills are both put to work. This victory was a culmination of the team’s hard work, so make sure to congratulate the members if you see them!