Huntington Science Olympiad Team Wins Six Medals

Huntington High School’s Science Olympiad team narrowly missed advancing to the state championships after placing 11th in a field of 65 teams in the Suffolk tournament this past weekend at Hauppauge. The top eight teams advanced to the state level competition.

Huntington is coached by high school teachers Matthew Liguori and Amelia Saggese. Emma Polinsky is the Blue Devils’ captain. Sena Knopf handles public relations.

Huntington’s Team A features Jordana Boxer, Jacob Boxer, Wynne Franciscovich, Eric Heinz, Greyson Henderson, Allison Huth, Rachel Huth, Sena Knopf, Luke Lomler, Andrew Ochoa Islas, Luis Orrego, Emma Polinsky, Jaipreet Singh, Audrey Sherwood and Elena Prior.

Huntington’s Team B includes Charlotte Cassatto, Warren Daniel, Ryan DiVico, Chelsea Drummings, Amani Huq, Isis Jimenez, Naomi Lyons, Emma Mortensen, Claire Parks, Benjamin Singh, Tulsi Singh, Ella Van Horn and Belinda Velasquez.

Huntington won six medals in the following events:

Disease Detectives- Wynne Franciscovich and Luke Lomler

Electric Vehicle- Jaipreet Singh and Jacob Boxer

Helicopter- Jaipreet Singh and Jacob Boxer

Hovercraft- Jaipreet Singh and Jacob Boxer

Remote Sensing- Jaipreet Singh and Andrew Ochoa

Rocks and Minerals- Sena Knopf and Elena Prior

“Ms. Saggese and I are so proud of the kids’ effort this weekend,” Mr. Liguori said. “Go Blue Devils!”

“Science Olympiad competitions are like academic track meets,” according to the organization’s website. “Each year, a portion of the events are rotated to reflect the ever-changing nature of genetics, earth science, chemistry, biology/anatomy, physics, geology, mechanical engineering and technology. By combining events from all disciplines, Science Olympiad encourages a wide cross-section of students to get involved. Emphasis is placed on active, hands-on group participation. Through Science Olympiad, students, teachers, parents, principals and business leaders bond together and work toward a shared goal.”

Many students are attracted to the challenges posed by Science Olympiad. “It’s a team competition in which students compete in 23 events pertaining to various fields of science,” Mrs. Saggese explained.

“Founded in 1984, Science Olympiad is the premier team STEM competition in the nation, providing standards-based challenges to 6,700 teams at 425 tournaments in all 50 states,” according to the organization’s website.