CV Puts Itself on Science Olympiad Map

Nir Shatsky and Simon Taylor takes 2nd place at NorCal State Science Olympiad Competition with Coach Inna Shatsky.

Last month, teams from CVHS, Canyon, and Creekside competed in their last Science Olympiad competition of the season at the NorCal State Tournament, putting Castro Valley on the Science Olympiad map with 

CVHS 6th, Canyon 9th and Creekside 6th overall with 28 individual event medals. Their finishes topped off an impressive season in which the 8 teams at the 3 schools garnered 214 collective medals and 3 trophies in 6 different competitions.

Led by head coaches Kathy and Eric Yao at CVHS, Yvonne Lee and Amber Lo at Canyon, and Garland and Bruce Dughi at Creekside, the students competed against the 35+ best teams in the state, with Northern California being one of the most competitive states in the nation. 

There were many highlights to the state competition, but Castro Valley teams are making a name for themselves in the build events, where they build vehicles powered by gravity or mousetraps, projectile launchers, ultralight airplanes, bridges, musical instruments, Rube Goldberg devices, and clocks. And yes, Castro Valley took 1st place in bridges for both divisions. Beyond the builds, teams also compete in study and lab events, for a total of 23 events spanning science, technology, engineering, and math. 

“Without the support of our school district and our super-dedicated parent coaches, the team would not be where it is today,” said CV Science President Garland Dughi. “Science Olympiad is more than a competition, it’s the intentional building of a community of learners.  Our teams spend countless hours building and studying while  juggling a full academic load, sports and other clubs. But they’re here because of their curiosity and desire to learn.”

For more information, visit cvscience.us.