CLARK, NJ — On Friday, Jan. 17, the ALJ Science Olympiad team arrived at Union County College to compete in their annual competition against other schools in the county. Team members prepared themselves in various fields of science that range from entomology to astronomy and engineering. On the day of the competition, students were excited to showcase all the information they had learned in the months leading up to the competition.
Science Olympiad team members Madison Benjamin and Adelis Mujtaba took part in the entomology event, in which they were asked to identify insects and answer related questions. When asked about how they prepared for this event, Benjamin, a junior on the team, said, “If you think you can’t do it, just know that you can.” Students exemplified tremendous dedication to learning about science beyond what they are taught in class.
In regard to the Write it Do it event, in which participants were asked to build an object based on their partner’s description, Science Olympiad members Isabella Sulikowski and Samantha Sulikowski took on the challenge with excitement. “Trust and believe in yourself,” said Sulikowski, another junior on the team. Their hard work paid off, as the two placed eighth in the event, one of the highest rankings the ALJ Science Olympiad team has received in this event.
“I didn’t expect a lot going into it, but I actually had a lot of fun,” said member Melody F. Czeh, when asked about her participation in the astronomy event. Though the subjects may seem intimidating at first, Science Olympiad members are always ready to take on the challenges presented and have fun in the process.
Club supervisors Anna Radcliffe and Jenette Morse were incredibly supportive of the team during their preparation for the event as well as the day of competition, cheering on students as they went to compete in their respective events. Both said they were proud to lead students as they work to broaden their understanding of STEM outside of the classroom.
“We would like to recognize a student, Tyler Pardo, who has been a valuable member of the Science Olympiad Team since her freshman year. Her talents and dedication have been instrumental to the team’s success. We will greatly miss her and all the other seniors,” said the advisors.
Photos Courtesy of Christine Casale Broski