Story by Elany Sanchez & Yamilett Garcia Hernandez

Discovery High School’s Science Olympiad team attended a competition at Virginia Tech on Saturday, February 1, 2025. The team finished in the top ten this year and is eligible to attend the regional competition in a few weeks.

Science Olympiad is a club at Discovery that engages in various science competitions that cover fields such as earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, and more.

Discovery’s Science Olympiad team participated in a competition held at Virginia Tech. The team competed in several events, achieving notable success and earning awards in multiple categories. “We placed fifth in ‘Write It, Do It,’ fifth in ‘Hokie Hunt,’ and third in ‘Disney Trivia,’” captain Bradyn Blackwell said. 

Science teacher Gene Scronce supported the team. We had asked him about his favorite memory, and it was no surprise that he mentioned the team going around and stepping in to help other teams. ‘’The biggest memory for me was the fact that we had several kids that stepped up and did some events with other students that they hadn’t prepared for, but teams needed a body, and our kids were willing to step up. It may not have been in their comfort zone, but it was important,’’ said Scronce.

One of the team members shared that although they didn’t win anything, they enjoyed seeing the awards presented on the stage. ‘’In the awards show they had a very huge wall, and there were many different awards on stage. Even though I didn’t win any, some of my teammates did,’’ said competitor Taizhe Zhu.

The competition was at an invitational level, meaning it served as practice before the actual state-level competition. Suha Koilakh mentioned several reasons why she liked this type of competition. ‘’At Virginia Tech, we get to explore it throughout the whole campus and just hang out with friends,’’ said Koilakh. 

Overall, everyone had fun and enjoyed themselves at the competition, as they worked hard to achieve great things. As a result, they are now getting the opportunity to attend the regional-level competition. The team created new memories while having fun and using their knowledge to solve issues they were presented with. In the end, the competition was a success for the team, creating new bonds and success in many events.