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Three afternoons each week, 30 students at Longfellow Middle School gather in McLean classrooms to study scientific concepts and test creations ranging from hovercraft and helicopters to gravity-powered vehicles.
Their goal is to extend one of the school’s most celebrated streaks: 13 consecutive state Science Olympiad championships. Since 2002, Longfellow has captured 19 state titles and placed as high as fifth in the nation.
The current roster emerged from a competitive field of roughly 120 students who tried out at the beginning of the school year. Candidates first took an approximately hourlong exam covering subjects such as physics, atomic structure, plant life cycles, rainbows and the periodic table.
About half advanced to a building challenge. This year, students received a fixed set of materials and had to construct a tower capable of supporting a specified number of pennies. The 30 strongest performers across the tryout rounds earned places on the team.
Eighth grader Kayla decided to try out after seeing a friend post about Science Olympiad on Instagram. She prepared with a textbook and was drawn to the chance to conduct research, build projects and meet other students who share her interests.
Once selected, each student chooses three specialties from more than 20 fields, including anatomy, heredity, meteorology and entomology.
Seventh grader Richard said the program has taught him to assemble circuits, solve codes and understand different muscle systems. Fellow seventh grader Esher selected water quality, a subject that interested him because he raises fish at home. His efforts to keep them healthy had already led him to study streams and learn many of the concepts covered by the event.
Calix, another seventh grader, joined because he enjoys research and believes the organization and time-management skills demanded by the program will be useful later in life.
The commitment extends well beyond the students. Parents serve as subject-area mentors or assist with supervision, logistics and food. On one Wednesday in November, families provided a full meal of chole batura, featuring spiced chickpeas, bread and fresh cucumbers.
Lindsay and Amit Sharma, parents of seventh grader Ari, said families approach the program with the intensity of a select soccer team. Some students even meet over Zoom at 9 p.m. on Friday nights to sharpen their knowledge.
Lindsay, who has a public-health background, helps students in the “crime busters” event use forensic methods to solve fictional cases. Although she had no previous Science Olympiad experience, she became involved after seeing how much the activity meant to her son.
“When you see how it brings your child to life, if this is their thing, you want to support that,” she said.
Coach Julie Cox, whose two children previously participated in the program, said that family involvement has been central to Longfellow’s success. With parents contributing their time and expertise, she said, the team effectively has 30 additional coaches.
Years of accumulated knowledge also give the program continuity. Students preserve and pass along notes, while former team members now attending high school or college sometimes help the current group work through difficult problems. Cox said alumni often respond within an hour when she asks for assistance.
That history creates both pride and pressure for today’s competitors.
“Having a 13-year streak of state championship wins is a big deal,” eighth grader Jolyn said. “Knowing we don’t want to be the ones to break it keeps us going.”