At the April 23 Hicksville Board of Education meeting, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ted Fulton began his report by recognizing the achievements of several Hicksville students who excelled in the recent Science Olympiad competitions at both the middle and high school levels.
Founded in 1984, Science Olympiad is a nationwide program designed to foster interest and excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Through engaging, collaborative, and competitive tournaments, students participate in events that combine academic rigor with hands-on engineering challenges.
The Hicksville Middle School Science Olympiad teams competed in the Regional Event at Kellenberg Memorial High School, earning medals in 15 of the 23 events. Team A’s outstanding performance secured 4th place overall and an invitation to the State Tournament, held at East Syracuse-Minoa High School on April 4 and 5. There, they earned medals in five events and placed 15th out of 40 participating teams.
State Medal Winners – Middle School:
- Air Trajectory – 6th Place: Veer Jaggi and Antonios Tsirigos
- Code Busters – 10th Place: Jay Pharma, GiGi Goh, and Aman Aenugu
- Crime Busters – 6th Place: Luke Van Bell and Antonios Tsirigos
- Entomology – 8th Place: GiGi Goh and Eason Liu
- Potions and Poisons – 5th Place: Saanvi Ahuja and Luke Van Bell
Hicksville High School students also delivered a strong showing at their Regional competition at Division High School, collecting a total of 33 medals across three teams. Team A ranked in the top 5 in 12 events and earned 3rd place overall, advancing to the State Tournament at Le Moyne College in Syracuse on March 21 and 22. For the first time in school history, the high school team finished in the top 10 statewide, placing 9th.
State Medal Winners – High School:
- Anatomy and Physiology – 4th Place: Kimberly Widjaja and Tasmiya Rahman
- Code Busters – 10th Place: Sissi Goh, Tristhan Cheung, and Sami Hayat
- Ecology – 5th Place: Ian Kim and Anusha Shah
- Entomology – 9th Place: Sissi Goh and Tasmiya Rahman
- Fossils – 10th Place: Kimberly Widjaja and Kapish Pharma
- Geologic Mapping – 4th Place: Kailash Thayavally and Ian Kim
- Robot Tour – 5th Place: Krishang Gupta and Nirvair Singh
- Tower – 4th Place: Arnav Chhatwal and Kimberly Widjaja
Dr. Fulton concluded his report by expressing his pride in the commitment and excellence demonstrated by the students, their coaches, and the entire Hicksville school community. “These accomplishments are a testament to the hard work, creativity, and collaborative spirit of our students. We celebrate their achievements and look forward to even greater successes in the future.”
