Reading’s A.W. Coolidge Science Olympiad Team earned first place in the Massachusetts Science Olympiad State Competition on March 3, 2018, at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. The win is the team’s 25th state title. The team will have the honor of representing Massachusetts at the National Science Olympiad Competition, May 18-19 at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colo.
The Massachusetts Science Olympiad offers middle school students the opportunity to compete with their peers in science and engineering events. This year, 33 middle schools competed in 23 events covering a diverse array of science and engineering topics. Sample events this year include Battery Buggy, in which teams construct vehicles that use electrical energy to propel them a specified distance; Dynamic Planet, in which students take a written test on the structure of the earth’s crust; and Herpetology, in which students are tested on their knowledge of amphibians and reptiles. This year’s team is made up of 30 dedicated students who each contributed to the success of the team: eighth graders Elliot Choi, Lauren Ciccariello, Margaux Gellot, Dylan Herlihy, Pete Koster, Charlie Lloyd, Sam Lonks, Chloe Mathieu, Zachary Nichols, Akshay Rao, Dylan Ren, Ryan Segalla, Brody Wolter and Dylan Wolter; seventh graders Christian Alfieri, Natalie Benassi, Alex Bica, Jessica Hayes, Natalie Ho, Abigail LeBovidge, Sean Murphy, Sachin Patel, Maya Serrano and Scott Upton; and sixth graders Charlotte Gellot, Vedant Narayan, Elena Nichols, Riya Patel, Sivan Schwarzmann and Hanna Wiggins.
Collectively, the regular team earned nine gold medals, four silver medals, one bronze medal and four fourth-place ribbons. The Coolidge alternate team also earned first-place ribbons in five events and second-place ribbons in eight events. This year’s team is led by Karawan Meade, an alumna of the team herself. She is supported by Dan Cody, Jerald Coyne and Molly McIver, all science teachers at Coolidge. The coaching staff is, in turn, supported by parents, teachers, community members, and high school student team alumni who serve as event coaches for the 23 events. The Coolidge School Science Olympiad Team is committed to excellence in science and has achieved a record which is unsurpassed in all of Massachusetts.
