Every spring, schools across the nation, including Aliso Niguel High School, come together to compete in a tournament known as the Science Olympiad. The Science Olympiad is a STEM-based competition that challenges students’ knowledge, creativity and problem-solving abilities in science-related fields and has been a longstanding club on the ANHS campus.
Team members have spent months preparing, doing extensive research and practice, dedicating themselves and their free time after school every Wednesday and Thursday to expand their scientific knowledge and experiment with various projects. These sessions typically run from 3:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. In the week leading up to the competition, however, students often stay as late as 7:30 p.m. to finalize their projects and test their contraptions.
During these after-school sessions, team members quiz each other on knowledge-based events, create study guides and practice building contraptions and structures. Knowledge-based events require independent research and preparation, in which students are allowed to bring a study guide to the test. For building events, students would use supplies like wood, glue, duct tape and other supplies at hand to construct their creations.
Ms. Zhou, teacher and club advisor for the Science Olympiad, said, “Everybody is there to help one another prepare for the events. The environment is really collaborative, with students often assisting each other in both the building and knowledge-based events.”
With 23 total events to prepare for, students usually prioritize certain events to maximize their efforts.
Arav Mody (11), executive coordinator of the Science Olympiad club at ANHS, said, “I mainly put my focus on the knowledge events, especially towards the Disease Detectives event. We put together a thorough study guide, and then on the day of the test, we were well-prepared for the subject.”
For the 2025 Orange County Regional Division Tournament held on Saturday, Feb. 22, ANHS competed as a Division C team. The tournament was held at the University of California, Irvine, located within the vicinity of Rowland Hall. Events started from 7:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., and award ceremonies were held on the same day later in the evening from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Team ANHS ranked 23 out of 47 for an overall score. Some notable scores for specific events the ANHS team achieved out of 47 competitors include: five in Air Trajectory, eight in Electric Vehicle, 11 in Disease Detectives, 12 in Bungee Drop, 13 in Robot Tour and 20 in Chemistry Lab. The overall score is calculated by summing up the scores and getting an average.
With the wide range of topics the Science Olympiad has, it offers students many opportunities to explore various scientific fields that align with their interests.
Kseniia Antipina (11), president of the Science Olympiad club at ANHS, said, “It’s fun to work together on projects after school, especially the hands-on lab events, like chemical and forensics labs. The variety of knowledge-based events, such as anatomy, astronomy, and ecology, keeps things interesting.”
The Science Olympiad team looks forward to participating in next year’s competition. Students are encouraged to join the team if they are interested in exploring and expanding upon their STEM knowledge or looking for opportunities to get involved with on-campus extracurriculars. Science Olympiad meetings and preparation activities are mostly held in the STEM building on the ANHS campus.
