On Saturday, Nov. 11, South’s Science Olympiad team had their first competition they had been preparing for all fall. Their competition is called the Hawk and Hornet Invitational at Troy High School, which is a familiar locale for much of the team as they attended it last year. Quin Grabowski ’25, who said she was looking forward to the competition on Saturday, said Science Olympiad competitions typically last 6-8 hours with different events happening at different times throughout the day. Grabowski added that as many as 3-4 people can compete in each event.

“Competitions can look different based on what (event) you are participating in,” Grabowski said. “There are some building events in which you build things prior to competition day—for example, a catapult competition you may present to the judge.”

The team has been preparing in science teacher Shelly Rothenbuhler’s room every Wednesday. Grabowski said that everyone breaks off and prepares for their respective events during practices.

“The building events will make their builds and the testing events may just study or work on their cheat sheets as they are allowed for some of the events,” Grabowski said.

Grabowski said she chose to join Science Olympiad because she was looking for a way to explore science outside of school as well as learn about new subjects that South may not offer classes for.

“My favorite part of Science Olympiad is the laid back and welcoming environment,” Grabowski said. “No one ever judges you if you can’t make it to practice one week, and you’re always welcome back the next.”

Ella Biter ’ ‘24 joined Science Olympiad for the first time this year and is also looking forward to her first competition. She chose to join Science Olympiad for similar reasons to Grabowski, as she stated she has always enjoyed science and loves the opportunity to further explore topics within the field that interests her.

“Our meets have been pretty casual,” Biter said. “Members can come and go whenever they want. People come to work on studying for their events, classes, and to just chat with friends.”

President of the club, Adelina Parikh ‘25 said, admits that while most of the time the club has an enjoyable and care-free free vibe, there are still some nerves going into the first competition of the year.

“I love the ability to learn more about individual topics while still being a part of a team,” Parikh said. “However, a lot of practice and competitions consist of hanging out with your friends and meeting new people from other schools.”