Students from the Islip Middle School EXCEL Science Olympiad team participated in the Science Olympiad regional competition, held at Candlewood Middle School in Dix Hills on March 16, and walked away with nine medals.

“The students have been relentlessly studying, constructing and preparing since the beginning of the school year, and their hard work paid off big time,” said adviser Julia Johnson. The team’s outstanding performance earned them a fifth-place finish, qualifying them for the New York State competition to be held April 12-13 at Syracuse University.

The district congratulates Mrs. Johnson and her team of scientists, including Nick Barry, Gavin Boyd, Zoe Camhi, Grace Constantino, Maddy Edwards, Chris Lopez, Madeline Marconi, Morgiana McDevitt, Jack Morrissey, Patrick Mugan, Kenny Ortega, Mimita Rahman, Kyle Sapia and Ryan Scheidel.