Ballston Spa Science Olympiad Team Headed to State Competition

The Ballston Spa High School Science Olympiad team placed 2nd at the Capital Region Science Olympiad Tournament which was recently held at Ballston Spa High School. Nineteen high school teams from throughout the Capital Region competed in the tournament.  

Ballston Spa students won medals in 19 out of 23 events including First Place in three of the events.  The first-place medal winners and their respective events include Lucas Guest and Sonja Mankes in “Astronomy”, William Hu in “Robot Tour” and Arnie Balajadia and Liam Brooks in “Bungee Drop”.  

The team’s successful finish qualifies them for the New York State competition at LeMoyne College on March 20th and 21st, 2026. The team is coached by high school science instructors Dede Koryto and Jim Poirier.

The Science Olympiad tournament is a rigorous, academic, interscholastic competition that consists of a series of individual and team events which the students prepare for throughout the year. 

The events are well-balanced between the various science disciplines of biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, computers and technology. The team of 15 students competed in 23 events which range from the construction of a rubber band propelled helicopter to college-level pen-and-paper assessments.  The regional tournament is organized by a team of professionals from throughout the region that are passionate about helping students explore their interests in Science and Technology beyond the classroom.