Flintridge Prep: The Science Olympiad

Flintridge Prep’s first ever Science Olympiad team spent Valentine’s Day 2015 competing at Antelope Valley College, its first Olympiad since the group started prepping in October.

Led by Dinnis Lin ’16 and Zoey Zhu ’16, alongside faculty adviser Jo French, the team placed in seven events—despite it being the first competition.

Shivam Agarwhal ‘18 and Francesca Song ‘18 brought Prep’s biology prowess to the table, placing fourth in the “Anatomy and Physiology” event. Ross Chase ‘16 and William Pai ‘16 engineered a successful bungee cord in “Bungee Drop,” claiming sixth place. In both the “Bridge Building” and “Wright Stuff” events, Dennis Lin ‘16 and Zoey Zhu ‘16 seized second place, barely missing the top spot. Ankur Jain ‘17 and Elida Kocharian ‘17 placed sixth with their unique Rube Goldberg machine in “Mission Possible,” with Elida going on to receive sixth place in “It’s About Time” with her extraordinary hand-made clock. Last but not least, Ankur Jain ‘17 and William Pai ‘16 returned to take fifth place in the “Write it Do it” event, despite only being assigned the event on the day of the tournament.

The team was small but mighty, boasted French, who compared Prep’s first-time team of 11 with their more-experienced competitors, who each brought the full 15 students allowed to the competition. With new experience under its belt, Prep’s Science Olympiad team plans to return in February 2016 with eyes on a spot in the state tournament.

Flintridge Preparatory School, 4543 Crown Avenue, La Cañada Flintridge, (818) 790-1178 or visit www.flintridgeprep.org.