Monday, June 12, 2017

High Tech Science League Earns Three Plaques This Year

(June 5, 2017--North Bergen, NJ) High Tech Science League competitors Andrew Tran of Kearny and Shrevas Agarwal of Secaucus have scored in the top 10% of all New Jersey students for Biology II and Physics C, respectively, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, Principal of High Tech High School.

Tran, a Kearny resident, earned a student plaque in Biology II, one out of a total of 30 plaques and 118 teams in New Jersey.  Also, Agarwal, who took First Place in AP Physics I last year, has earned one out of a total of fourteen plaques given for Physics C in all of New Jersey. 

Last, but not least, the Physics C Team, comprised of Agarwal and Mingyu Zhao of Harrison, earned a team plaque, placing fourth out of seventy teams in the Garden State.  Last year, Zhao took 17th place, which put him in the top 10% of all competitors in New Jersey as well.

“Congratulations to our award recipients and to all Science League participants,” says Kimberly Braun, science instructor at High Tech.  “You had a great year.”

To participate in the annual Science League competition (both individual and team), students must take an acceptance test in subjects such as biology, chemistry, physics, environmental, and earth science at the beginning of the school year.   Only the top ten percent of the students receiving a certificate receives a student plaque.  Team scores equal the cumulative sum of the top 2%, and only the top 10% of schools in a subject area earns a team plaque.  

The four students with the highest scores officially become part of the team. The fifth highest-scoring student serves as an understudy.  Moreover, students participate in Science League to better their knowledge in a specific subject, and it provides proof to teachers and colleges about students’ expertise in a subject.  Additionally, students could also win scholarships if they win titles.   

The Science League state tests take place from January through April. 

(left to right: Shrevas Agarwal and Andrew Tran)