News
HALL HS CHEM TEAM TAKES IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Hall High School student Caroline Lukens previously qualified as a Regional Finalist in the Chemistry Olympiad, a tiered international chemistry competition sponsored by the American Chemical Society. Caroline has now qualified for the National Level of this prestigious competition.
On April 18th she will again travel to the University of Connecticut and take a written and laboratory examination in hopes of securing a spot on the U.S. Team.
On April 26th, Caroline and her parents, along with teacher and chemistry club coach, Mrs. Joan Pease, have been invited to an awards luncheon sponsored by the American Chemical Society. The luncheon will be held at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. At this luncheon Caroline will be honored for her success to date in the Chemistry Olympiad and awarded a U.S. Savings Bond.
Every March the state level of this academic competition is held in the Chemistry Building on the Storrs campus of the University of Connecticut. High schools from across the state bring their talented chemistry students to participate in this competition, which includes a multiple choice chemistry exam. Of the 275 Connecticut students taking this morning exam only the top 30 go on to the regional level of competition that afternoon. Hall’s Sam Boers, Caroline Lukens, Jeffery Phu, Ben Schneider and Cassie Trammel were state finalists and secured five of these 30 regional spots. The Regional Competition includes both an essay and a laboratory exam. As part of the laboratory exam these five young chemists were required to design and carry out an experiment which would enable them to determine the pressure inside of a can of soda before it was opened.
In addition to the individual competition, the State Level of the Chemistry Olympiad also includes a team competition. The high school with the highest overall student test average for this level of competition is awarded the first place gold medal plaque. For the third year in a row, Hall High School walked away with the Chemistry Olympiad Gold Medal.
Other states across the country hold similar competitions to select state and regional finalists. Students who place in the top ten percent of these regional competitions are eligible to participate in the National Level of competition. The purpose of the National Competition is to select a United States Chemistry Olympiad Team to compete in the World Competition, summer 2008.