After months of preparation, the Tenafly High School Science Olympiad (SciOly) team’s hard work culminated in an outstanding performance at its second competition of the year. On January 13, the THS SciOly team competed at the NJ Regional Tournament, held on the Union College of Union County campus.
Science Olympiad is a team-based STEM competition that challenges students across a broad range of scientific disciplines. During competition days, students compete in written tests, laboratory investigations, engineering events, and more. Each event tests different skills, requiring a different balance of knowledge, analytical thinking, and teamwork. Events this year included Codebusters, Entomology, Disease Detectives, among others.
Tenafly High School earned an impressive 4th place out of 29 teams, medaling in six of the 12 events. Due to the team’s exceptional performance at Regionals, Tenafly has been invited to compete in the NJ State Finals Tournament on March 9.
Results from Regionals are as follows:
Disease Detectives, 1st place: Jehee Nam (’27), Edward Wang (’26)
Engineering CAD, 1st place: Noah Jackson (’26), Yuval Amitai (’26)
Entomology, 3rd place: Kiran Muttiah (’26), Helen Xie (’28)
Astronomy, 3rd place: Henry Lee (’27), Hillary Xie (’26)
Boomilever, 4th place: Ananjay Anchlia (’27), Daniel Han (’27)
Codebusters, 4th place: Derin Oral (’27), Chris Oh (’26), Henry Lee (’27)
The SciOly members were satisfied with their performance and noted the hours of dedication spent preparing. For Jehee Nam and Edward Wang, taking 1st place in Disease Detectives—an event focused on the study of epidemiology—was evidence of their teamwork.
“The test was very short and heavily based on accuracy, so you really have to work together with your partner to succeed,” Nam said. “In an event like this, being in sync is just as important as knowing the material.”
Following Tenafly’s performance at Regionals, the team competed at the Columbia Invitationals on January 24, placing 16th out of 88 teams. With the Regional medals secured, the team’s gaze is now fixed on the State competition. The jump from Regionals to States is notoriously difficult, requiring teams to improve their builds and further deepen their subject knowledge with more content and events.
When asked about the future of the season, SciOly head coach Mrs. Subramaniam shared that the team is incredibly excited for States. She added that the ultimate goal is to make it to Nationals, a prestigious honor within the scientific community.
“Only the top two or three teams from States make it to Nationals,” Subramaniam said.
“While the medals are what we strive for, the real strength of this team comes from the time we spend supporting one another outside of the testing rooms,” SciOly Co-President Kiran Muttiah (’26) said. “During the downtime of the competition, we played a lot of Uno and quizzed each other on event topics. These small moments of bonding serve as the difference between a group of students and a family.”
Offering advice to aspiring SciOly members, third-place medalist and Vice President Hillary Xie (’26) emphasizes the importance of passion and strong team bonds. “Choose a topic you’re truly passionate about,” Xie said. “When you care about what you’re studying, the long hours don’t feel as heavy. Learn your subject deeply, spend the time to prepare, and build a good rapport with your partner[s] because, at the end of the day, you’re not just competing with knowledge, but with teamwork.”
