The Earl L. Vandermeulen High School Science Olympiad A team earned a spot at the state competition after an outstanding performance at the Eastern Long Island Regional Science Olympiad on January 25, at Hauppauge High School. The Port Jefferson team placed 2nd out of 63 teams, securing one of only eight spots representing Eastern Long Island at the New York State Science Olympiad at Le Moyne College, which will be held in Syracuse, NY, from March 21 through 23.
In addition to the A team’s remarkable achievement, Port Jefferson's B team placed 6th and the C team placed 34th, all demonstrating the strength of the school's science program. With 23 STEM events—ranging from Air Trajectory to Write It, Do It—the competition showcased the students' impressive breadth of knowledge, hard work, and collaboration across a variety of scientific disciplines.
Notable Results and Medalists
Several students earned individual recognition for their accomplishments. Congratulations to the following medal-winning teams:
Air Trajectory- 6th (A) Mari Fukuto & Kevin Hong, 8th (B) Yosef Mimarbasi & Evan Monaghan
Anatomy- 8th (A) Isaac Rubenstein & Alice Snyder
Astronomy- 1st (A) Emily Snyder & Jonah Boerboom, 8th (B) Mahati Sistla & Benjamin Batter
Chemistry Lab- 9th (A) Devon Welsch & Avery Eisaman
Codebusters- 3rd (A) Kenshin Sugimoto, Emily Snyder, & Jonah Boerboom
Disease Detectives- 8th (A) Chris Nam & Narin Karakurum, 5th (B) Ronan Moore & Joshua Kwon
Dynamic Planet- 8th (A) Narin Karakurum & Dasha Zakharova, 4th (B) Marco Puopolo & Evan Monaghan
Ecology- 6th (A) Alice Snyder & Thales Cheng
Electric Vehicle- 5th (A) Kieran Casey & Kevin Hong
Entomology- 2nd (A) Jonah Boerboom & Kenshin Sugimoto, 5th (B) Mahati Sistla & Deia Colosi
Experimental Design- 5th (A) Kevin Hong, Kenshin Sugimoto, & Isaac Rubenstein, 6th (B)Yosef Mimarbasi, Jax Moore, & Evan Monaghan
Forensics- 8th (A)Thales Cheng & Avery Eisaman, 3rd (B) Jax Moore & Sean Grossman
Helicopter- 7th (A) Kieran Casey & Kevin Hong
Material Science- 3rd (A) Avery Eisaman & Chris Nam, 4th (B) Mahati Sistla & Deia Colosi
Optics- 1st (A) Emily Snyder & Devon Welsch
Microbe Mission- 6th (A) Alice Snyder & Kenshin Sugimoto
Tower- 2nd (A) Max Joyner & Dasha Zakharova
Wind Power- 10th (A) Max Joyner & Mari Fukuto
Write It, Do It- 2nd (A) Isaac Rubenstein & Mari Fukuto
In total, Port Jefferson's teams earned numerous medals in various events, showcasing the talent, dedication, and teamwork of the students involved.
"I was stunned and impressed with all three of the teams this year!” said Coach Perovich. “All the teams were almost in the top half of the region, demonstrating the amount of teamwork and preparation each person put into their events to contribute to such a successful team."
“This group of students has worked so cohesively and so hard all year preparing for this competition,” Coach Garcia added. “We are so proud of their success and cannot wait for States.”
In addition to the dedicated coaching, the students were supported by a talented group of science teachers: Mr. Maletta, Mr. Gorniok, Mr. Bouchard, Ms. Sklar, and Ms. Weaver, as well as Teaching Assistant Mr. Holland, who accompanied the team at the event. The State Competition promises to be another exciting chapter for the Port Jefferson Science Olympiad team, and they look forward to representing the region at Le Moyne College this March.
Date Added: 2/3/2025