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Marie Murphy
Marie Murphy nationals team
Updated: June 7, 2012 6:04AM
Science Olympiad Second in the Nation
For the second consecutive year, the Marie Murphy Science Olympiad Team won second place in the National Science Olympiad Tournament held this year in Orlando, Florida. Marie Murphy bested all but one of the 60 other teams representing 49 states. No secondary or middle school team in Illinois aside from Marie Murphy has ever placed so high in the National Tournament.
At the tournament held on May 19 at the University of Central Florida, Marie Murphy won a school best 11 medals out of 23 possible events taking top honors in two.
Medalists include:
National Champions, First Place, Awesome Aquifer – Regina Madanguit and Michael Rivkin; and Forestry – Jamie Knippen and Elizabeth Sollitt.
Second Place, Bottle Rocket – Jason Lee and Elizabeth Sollitt; Food Science – Regina Madanguit and Clara Yam; Reach for the Stars – Paul Farcasanu and Jonah Wolfe.
Third Place, Dynamic Planet – Katherine Ho and Michael Rivkin; Optics – Katherine Ho and Ethan Wirth.
Fourth Place, Experimental Design – Jamie Knippen, Jonah Wolfe and David Yan; Write it Do it – Jamie Knippen and Elizabeth Sollitt.
Fifth Place, Crimebusters – Jason Lee and Carissa Yang; Storm the Castle – Youngjin Kim and Aiyappa Kodendera.
The Marie Murphy Science Olympiad season begins every October, with the first level of competitions starting in January and continuing through May with Regional, State, and National tournaments. Of the more than 270 teams in the state of Illinois, only the top 2 go on to compete in the National Tournament which represents the top 60 teams out of the more than 6000 in the nation. Students compete in 23 academic and building events that focus on chemistry, biology, physics and technical problem solving.
This year’s Varsity team is comprised of seventh and eithth grade students from the towns of Glenview, Wilmette, Winnetka, and Northfield: Paul Farcasanu, Katherine Ho, Youngjin Kim, Jamie Knippen, Aiyappa Kodendera, Jason Lee, Regina Madanguit, Lauren Newmark, Michael Rivkin, Elizabeth Sollitt, Ethan Wirth, Jonah Wolfe, Clara Yam, David Yan, and Carissa Yang. The coaching staff consists of parents C.K. Kodendera, Anne Nagle, Geraldine Newmark, Denise Wirth, and Rory Wolfe as well as Marie Murphy staff members James Gravagna, Peter Ogden, Darren Persino, and Shannon Wright.
