John Jay High School Brings Home Three Medals from New York State Science Olympiad
John Jay’s medals are in Astronomy (Nicholas Aoki and DeeAnn Guo), Tower (DeeAnn Guo and David Sorkin), and Write It Do It (Angela and Amanda Huang).
Herpetology (Serena Chen and Molly Siegel) just missed the medal.
This was the twenty-eighth time that John Jay represented the Lower Hudson Valley in the last thirty-two years, competing against fifty-five teams from New York State’s eleven Science Olympiad Regions.
“The competition was fierce,” said Dr. Linda Burke, one of John Jay’s coaches.
At the end of the day, John Jay was second only to Scarsdale of the five other Lower Hudson Valley Region teams in the State competition, including Ardsley, Fox Lane, Scarsdale, Tappan Zee, and Byram Hills (who unfortunately never made the competition due to their school closure on Friday).
Team Members:
Seniors: Nicholas Aoki, DeeAnn Guo, David Sorkin, and alternate Matthew Sorkin
Junior: Samuel Chen
Sophomores: Akshay Amin, Justin Chang, Serena Chen, Amanda and Angela Huang, James Lucassen, Evelyn Mullaney, Athena Ohnemus, Jordan Schwartz, Elyse Sherr, Molly Siegel
Coaches:
Overall Team: Dr. Linda Rachele Burke, Mrs. Amy Shimberg, Mr. Matt Funnell, and Mrs. Caroline Weldon
Events: Dr. Linda Rachele Burke (Ecology, Herpetology, Hydrogeology)
Mrs. Emilia Camporese (Forensics)
Mr. Matthew Funnell (Helicopter, Fermi Questions, Optics, Wind Power)
Mrs. Michela Gilarde-Green (Chemistry Lab)
Ms. Ann Marie Lipinsky (Experimental Design)
Mrs. Jennifer McLean (GameOn)
Mrs. Amy Shimberg (Disease Detective, Dynamic Planet, Materials Science, Rocks and Minerals, Write It Do It)
Ms. Anna Trieller (Invasives)
Mrs. Caroline Weldon (Anatomy & Physiology, Microbe Mission)
Mr. Steven Zoeller (Electric Vehicle, Hovercraft, Robot Arm)
The team also gives a special thank you to and to the High School and District administrators and staff, especially Dr. Steven Siciliano, Mrs. Kim Piccolino, Dr. Antonio Ramos, Ms. Karen Carroll, Mrs. Carrie Scribner, Mrs. Kim Park, Ms. Danelle Placella, Ms. Nora Mavromatis, and Ms. Linda Kaplan.
Read an earlier story about JJHS Science Olympiad Team here.
What Is Science Olympiad?
Science Olympiad competitions are like academic track meets, consisting of a series of 23 team events. Each year, a portion of the events are rotated to reflect the ever-changing nature of genetics, earth science, chemistry, 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.
Teamwork is a required skill in most scientific careers today, and Science Olympiad encourages group learning by designing events that forge alliances. In Elevated Bridge, an engineering whiz and a kid from wood shop can become gold medalists. Similarly, a talented builder and a student with a good science vocabulary can excel in Write It Do It, one of Science Olympiad's most popular events.
JJHS 2016-17 Science Olympiad Team
In front of sign: DeeAnn Guo, Nicholas Aoki (team captains)
Holding sign row: Evelyn Mullaney, Serena Chen, Angela Huang, Jordan Schwartz, Elyse Sherr, Amanda Huang, Molly Siegel, Athena Ohnemus
Rear: Akshay Amin, Justin Chang, James Lucassen, David Sorkin, Matthew Sorkin, Samuel Chen