After countless weeks of meeting and studying, all the efforts of the Science Olympiad team boiled down to the competition held on April 22.

South competed in 23 different events this year, though there are many different categories focusing on different parts of STEM. Nikoli Strelkov ’24 focuses on four: remote sensing, fermi questions, WiFi lab and detector building.

“Anything and everything you learn can be used to help you, but the most important thing is to keep calm and result in yourself and your partner’s knowledge,” Strelkov said.

Strelkov’s teammate Hana Fakih ’23 shares a similar strategy competing at states.

“Our strategy for states was to focus on our events but more important make sure the team all works well together with their partners in their events,” Fakih said.

Although many students may be scared away from joining an academic club from the extra stress and studying that comes along with it, Strelkov said there are many important lessons learned from Science Olympiad.

“Science Olympiad is a great science club that teaches you important skills and shows you how to apply them,” Strelkov said. “Also if you aren’t sure what you want to do in college or future in general, Science Olympiad can help you with that.”

The biggest lesson Fakih learned from Science Olympiad was leadership skills, and figuring out how to manage different people and their needs. Along with self and academic growth, Science Olympiad helps students create bonds with their peers, according to Fakih.

“Students should join the Science Olympiad to create a smaller community in South’s large atmosphere,” Fakih said. “You can make tons of friends, and Mrs. Rothenbuhler can guide you to learn and find your strengths. It’s not only about competing but also finding a group who will support you, no matter your place.”