It has not been easy, but the John Burroughs Science Olympiad team, coached by Martha Keeley, Marina Smallwood, and Tracy Walther, may finally make it to Nationals this year. In past years, only two teams have advanced from the State to National level, but this year, possibly due to lowered interest in Missouri, only one will move on. This means that the Burroughs team will have to beat both of their major adversaries: Ladue and Pembroke Hill, the two schools that usually make the cut to Nationals each year. This will be a challenge, especially due to last-minute rescheduling of the State tournament from April 3 to April 28 for bad weather, many of the teams more seasoned members will not make it to the competition. Fortunately for the team, there is a group of younger students fully equipped to step in.

The Junior Varsity Science Olympiad team is a new addition to the program this year that allows younger or inexperienced students to participate at a competitive level, as well as allowing for twice the acceptance rate onto the team. According to Ann Marie O’Shea ‘21, “I found it very fun, especially working with older students and learning techniques from them.… Everyone was super nice and supportive!”

The addition of the team will result in a higher density of experienced students on the varsity team a few years from now. The JV team did not advance past the Regional level of competition. However, many members of JV have continued to assist their more senior event mates, especially in pre-competition building events. Some members of the JV team will even get the chance to attend State on April 28 in place of the missing varsity members.

Although team Co-Captain William Howlett, ‘18, will not be among those at the upcoming tournament, he remains optimistic and encouraging: “I’ve done Science Olympiad since freshman year, and it’s been an amazing experience.… The team did well at Regionals, so hopefully, we can carry that momentum into State and claim the top spot to advance to Nationals.” Howlett, along with Matthew Yee ‘19, has led the team to State. Altogether, the team remains hopeful, despite the challenges they face.

Hunter Sigmund ‘18 remarks of the postponement, “ Yeah, it’s a bit of a curveball, but it’s nothing we can’t handle.” Jan Kasal ‘19 says, “Let’s take this as an opportunity to study some more… make the most of the extra time we have… our team has always surprised me in the past.”

Encouraging comments like these are constantly being passed between the team members. Following the regional tournament on March 3, many members of the team shared positive comments. Alison Gill ‘18 comments, “We’re going for the flat win.”

Fellow team member Luanna Summer states, “Let’s go the distance, guys!” Howlett summarizes, “I just wanted to say that everyone did incredibly today. This was one of our best regionals… I’m super proud… This year we have a legit shot at Nationals, so let’s make it happen!”

The Science Olympiad team will be attending their State tournament on Saturday, April 28th, in Fulton, Missouri, and will hopefully make their way to Missouri’s spot at Nationals.