Student Stars: Oak Harbor H.S. Science Olympiad team qualifies for State:

        The Oak Harbor High School Science Olympiad Team excelled at the Bowling Green State University Regional Competition held March 15, securing a third-place finish and qualifying for the State Competition to be held at The Ohio State University on April 26.

        Their accomplishment marks a two-place improvement from last year.

        Standout performances included first-place finishes in Electric Vehicle, Helicopter, and Tower competitions. Multi-medal winners included Derek Lochotzki (six medals), Kale John (three), Austin Cherry (three), Kalyssa Dehring (three), Hannah Hartigan (two), Ally Phillips (two) and Chris Zoltani (two).

        Oak Harbor Junior High finished sixth, one spot shy of qualifying for State. Every junior high team member medaled in at least one event. The team brought home medals in eight events, including second-place finishes in Air Trajectory and Scrambler.

        Science Olympiad is a rigorous academic competition, structured like an academic track meet with 23 events covering subjects such as biology, chemistry, physics, geology, engineering, and technology. Success requires teamwork, problem-solving, and applying scientific knowledge in a hands-on setting.

        Coaches Lauretta Swint and Robert Zajac emphasize that Science Olympiad is about more than competition—it’s about building teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills that extend beyond the classroom. Students learn to analyze complex event descriptions, manage deadlines, and develop engineering and scientific skills essential for success in STEM fields.

Academic honors

        Ohio University: Crystal Jones, of Oregon; Fran Watkins-Jewell, of Northwood; Emily Ramsdell, of Oak Harbor.

        Kent State University: Regan Nye, of Curtice; Claire Pocse, of Toledo; Meena Brown, Lillian Dalton, Macey Przybylski, Garrett St. John, of Oregon; Lilian Myers, Jordan Toeppe, of Elmore; Kaitlyn May, Reagan Schultz, Tyler Wadsworth, of Oak Harbor; Morgan Rawski, Elise Staczek, Gillian Wong, of Walbridge; Kristen Davis, of Woodville.

        Youngstown State University: Zaria Boss, Jack Romeo, ,Jenna Witmer, of Curtice; Malik Hakeem, Deighton Wamer, of Oregon.

Graduates

        Kent State University: Jack Nagy, of Oregon; Regan Nye, of Curtice; Kaitlyn May, Tyler Wadsworth, of Oak Harbor;

        Miami University: Matthew Robinson, of Curtice.

Oak Harbor’s High School Science Olympiad Team secured a third-place finish at the Bowling Green State University Regional Competition, qualifying for the State Competition to be held April 26 at The Ohio State University.

Submitted photo