From cracking forensic cases to engineering planes, the Parkway West Science Olympiad team put their science knowledge to the test on March 1 at the team’s first regional competition. The Longhorns didn’t just compete –– they conquered, securing a highly coveted spot at the state competition. 

As the qualifying competition for the Missouri State Science Olympiad Competition, many schools across St. Louis competed in hopes of advancing. Going head to head against more than 15 schools –– many of which are much larger and experienced ––  Parkway West’s team held its ground in 23 different events. The team was split into two groups: Team 1 and Team 2, with Team 1 ultimately securing the state spot. Out of all the competing schools, the top six were selected to move on to the state competition. Coming in sixth place, the Longhorns snagged the final spot. 

In Science Olympiad, there are two ways to qualify for state: by placing high as a whole team or through individual performance, where competitors who place first in their specific events qualify. While our students earned a state spot as a whole team, junior Anish Jindal would have earned a state spot regardless, thanks to his first-place finish in Chem Labs. Reflecting on the competition, Jindal acknowledges that the team hadn’t been expecting to advance.

“This is the first year that we’ve competed as a team, and it’s not reasonable to expect to [qualify] the first time around, considering [the] many long-standing programs around and how few teams qualify for state,” Jindal said.

West’s Science Olympiad team was formed last year when sophomores Alisha Yin and Jawsitha Tummala began advocating for a team. Yin had become interested after hearing about Science Olympiad at other schools, while Tummala had done Science Olympiad herself when she attended Parkway Central her freshman year. 

“Seeing other students at other schools with [Science Olympiad] and all the capable students at our school without [inspired me to] create these opportunities for our students,” Yin said. 

The pair began gathering interested students together in hopes of starting a Science Olympiad team. However, as Yin and Tummala reached out to find a sponsor, many science teachers were unable to or were already sponsors of other clubs. Finally, the two approached science teacher Tim Burkard, who agreed to sponsor the club.

“I think it’s important that there are students interested in science,” Burkard said. “At most, you’re going to take six science classes in high school, none of which are going to be entomology or other [Science Olympiad] events. Although you may never have room in your schedule, [Science Olympiad] gives these students a reason to explore [their] interests more.”

After securing a sponsor, the growing team began preparations to compete for the regional competition scheduled for February 2024. Unfortunately, because of postponements due to snow and schedule conflicts, the team was unable to compete at regionals last year. This school year, the team prepared by studying and practicing months ahead, opening up the opportunity to finally compete.

“[Last year], we were disappointed because we thought we were going to go, and a lot of people were preparing. We [knew] we [had] to do it this year,” Tummala said. “Our whole priority [was] not winning, [but] to know what the environment is like during the events.”

The Science Olympiad team’s first competition was at the Washington University Invitational, which ended up being a success. Despite last-minute drops and team changes, the students were successful, with numerous top five placements. Yin, who had had to coordinate the shifting teams, was surprised by the results.

“WashU went a lot better than we anticipated. We went in and weren’t expecting to win anything. There was a lot of moving around with the teams, [so] a lot of people [had to] show up and compete with nothing ready,” Yin said.

Despite the successes of both the WashU tournament and regionals, the Parkway West Science Olympiad team still faces struggles from a lack of funding. While the team was able to receive help from the West Parent Organization, certain build events require expensive materials that the school cannot afford yet. Without competing in every event, it becomes much harder for our team to place high against other teams.

“Unfortunately, there are some events that we’re not competing in that make it nearly impossible for the team to move on. Electric Car is one of them. It’s really expensive, [and] we don’t have the fundraising to do that this year. That’s [my] hope for next year,” Burkard said.

In addition, competitions throughout the year are held at colleges, but many of these are far away in other states. Similar to other competitive teams like FBLA, in order to attend competitions throughout the year, the Science Olympiad team needs funding.

“[Other] teams that have done [Science Olympiad] for years have more resources and advantages in funds. [Our goal next year] is to fundraise and go to multiple competitions, more than just two,” Tummala said.

With goals to fundraise next year and the successes already accomplished so far, junior Ryan Shabani, who placed third in Experimental Design with Jindal and sophomore Zach Zheng, is optimistic about next year.

“This past weekend was really exciting as a team because it showed that with time, effort and dedication, we can do it. The fact that we were able to qualify to state our first year with minimal materials shows that we have a bright future ahead of us. After fundraising, we’re bound to have another good year, if not even better,” Shabani said.