Portola High School finished 17th overall out of 91 teams at the University of Southern California Science Olympiad Invitational on Jan. 17. Notable results included third-place finishes by Suhrith Muvvala and Arya Aia in Anatomy and Physiology and Zephyr Low in Forensics.
The team viewed the invitational as an opportunity to evaluate their strengths and identify areas that needed improvement moving forward. Facing top-ranked programs early in the season provided important experience as the team prepares for regional and state competitions, according to co-captain and senior Suhrith Muvvala.
“We had some of the best teams in the nation show up, like Troy [High] and Monte Vista [High], both consistently placing in at least the top three in the nation, so it was a very competitive invitational,” Muvvala said. “I feel like it really puts you in competition mode, because the rooms are packed with people, which puts the pressure on you to either improve for next time, or perform well during the competition.”
During this competition, the team prioritized bonding through collaborative group games during downtime between events. These activities aimed to strengthen teamwork among members to improve collaboration during competitions, according to Science Olympiad advisor and science teacher Meghan Truax.
“This year, specifically, we have a bigger focus on team morale and team bonding,” Truax said. “We want the team to feel cohesive, even though we compete individually or in pairs; it really is a team sport. All of our success [benefits] everybody, and the more we collaborate, the better we do.”
To support both team collaboration and academic balance, practices were adjusted from two-hour sessions once a week to four-hour sessions every other week, allowing members to study in between practices, according to Science Olympiad member and sophomore Mahima Wuppalapati.
“Preparation mostly consisted of going to practices and taking tests with our partners, so we could understand the dynamic and work together on taking practice tests,” Wuppalapati said. “Also, during winter break, we had assigned tests for all of our events that we had to submit and score by ourselves. That helped us learn more about topics that we didn’t know before, because those tests were pretty hard.”
The team’s next event is scheduled for Feb. 14 at the University of California, Riverside regionals competition, which will determine whether they advance to the state tournament.
