The Middle School Science Olympiad team is back from States—and they’ve set a new standard. With a ninth-place finish, the highest in program history, and a collection of state medals in hand, this crew proved they can compete with the very best. The margins tell the story: just three points shy of eighth place and eleven from seventh in a field that began with 145 schools and narrowed to 45 at the state level. Even more, they climbed another spot from last year and earned distinction as the second-highest placing private school in North Carolina. 

In short: momentum is real, and it’s building. Now, let’s celebrate our scientists: 

Medaling Events: 

2^nd Place: 
Scrambler – Aanya Chakunta, ’30 & Lucy Yang, ‘31 

3^rd place: 
Metric Mastery – Yuna Kim, ’30,  Zofia Wang, ‘30 

8^th Place:  
Codebusters – Anthony Liu, ’31, Ryan Xu, ’31, & Sylvie Knott, ‘30 

Crimebusters – Aanya Chakunta, Lanlan Huang, ‘30 

Experimental Design – Aashritha Karthik Kamu, ’31, Lucy Yang, & Shriya Shah, ‘31 

9^th Place: 
Anatomy and Physiology – Ryan Xu &Elena Huang, ’30 

Mission Possible – Raahi Desai, ’31 & Sylvie Knott 

We also want to highlight our 11th place finishes, just one spot away from medaling: 

11^th Place: 
Botany – Caroline Yang, ’32, Aarna Shah, ‘32 

Circuit Lab – Lanlan Huang, Alex Launiau, ‘31 

Helicopter – Anthony Liu, Alex Launiau 

Quantum Detanglers – Audrey Graff, ’30, Olivia Hu, ‘30 

Solar System – Anwen Baugh, ’30, Sophie Mei, ‘30 

These results show just how deep, competitive, and impressive this entire team was across the board, not just competing side by side, but thinking together, problem solving together, and celebrating each other’s wins like they were their own. We are incredibly proud of what they accomplished this season, and even more excited for what is ahead. Way to go, Chargers!