H-ton Impressive in Science Olympiad
Huntington High School's Science Olympiad teams continue to climb into the upper ranks of Suffolk programs. It's a tribute to the school's science research program and the teenagers who have taken up the challenge of advanced academic studies.
Huntington sent two squads into a recent competition that drew 50 teams from across the county. Huntington's Team A placed 11th in the final standings, within striking distance of qualifying for the state championships.
The Science Olympiad debuted 29 years ago and is considered one of the nation's premier science competitions. "This competition allows for students to practice and perform many aspects of science from anatomy, forestry, thermodynamics, robotics and many, many, more," said science teacher Lori Kenny, who leads the Science Olympiad teams along with research program colleague Dame Forbes. "The topics are changed yearly and are challenging and exciting."
Huntington's recent individual medalists included:
• Aron Coraor and Brian Gilbert: 3rd place-bronze medal in Fermi.
• Aron Coraor and Brian Gilbert: 3rd place-bronze medal in Thermodynamics.
• Brian Gilbert and Frank Yeh: 4th place-bronze medal in Chemistry Lab.
Mrs. Kenny heads Huntington's science research program and works closely with Mrs. Forbes. Fellow teachers Ed Florea, Nicole Cooper, Rae Montesano and Joe Cohen routinely volunteer their time to help their students on the Science Olympiad team on the day of competition.
Mr. Florea was pumped up after the recent county competition, which included many of Suffolk's brightest students. "It was one of the best experiences I have had working with students," he said.
The Huntington Team A finish was tantalizingly close to a state qualifying performance. The day left Mrs. Kenny and Mrs. Forbest energized and sent team members off to plan for next year, which they are already doing.
There are 6,400 Science Olympiad teams currently competing in the United States.