The EXCEL Science Olympiad team from the middle school earned three medals at the New York State Science Olympiad Competition, held in Syracuse on April 14-15. Robert Belcher and Joyce Johnson won first place in the Crime Busters event, Johnson and Tim Mak earned fifth in Battery Buggy, and Maddie Mulholland finished ninth in Towers.

“To make it to this level is quite an accomplishment, and their performance at states was terrific,” said team adviser Julia Johnson.  
This year’s team consisted of Abby Alfano, Belcher, Liam Biscari, Myles Freelin, Johnson, Tyler Lofberg, Joseph Maguire, Mak, Mulholland, Stella Reagan, Steven Schadt, Kacey Schassberger, Katelyn Wallace and Brielle Zink.

The team of 14 middle schoolers from the district’s academically gifted program had previously finished in fifth place overall at the March 15 regional competition against other teams from Long Island, held in Dix Hills, qualifying Islip for the state event. Regional medal wins included first place in Crime Busters for Belcher and Johnson, third place in Road Scholar for Mak and Schadt, fourth in both Battery Buggy and Hovercraft for Johnson and Mak, and seventh in Towers for Lofberg and Mulholland.

“Our team this year was a ‘young’ one,” said Johnson. “We were in a growing year with 95 percent of our team members being rookies. Islip is always one of the smaller schools at this rigorous regional competition, with many schools competing with multiple teams and many coaches, and we also competed with only 14 team members, making us even more the underdog. Well, like a feel-good movie, the underdog came out on top.”