Holton's Level I team (in pink) and Level II team (in yellow) smile for the camera with their mentor, Mr. Xu Duan.

Holton-Arms’ Level I and Level II Chemathon teams both received the overall Grand Prize in their category at this year’s 30th Annual Chemathon on Saturday, April 26. Held at the University of Maryland, the regional chemistry competition welcomed 25 local schools, including some large regional schools such as Thomas Jefferson High School, Thomas S. Wooton High School, as well as smaller independent schools. Twenty-one Level I chemistry teams, made up of first-year chemistry students, entered the competition; Twenty Level II, or AP level, teams participated. Chemathon teams competed in a series of 10 projects, lab activities, and knowledge-testing games, and are ranked first through fifth in each challenge. 

Sophomores Reilly Anderson, Camille Blum, Leatrice Bulls, Anne-Sophie Fratzscher, Hadley Gouldman, Elise Lovett, Rupa Nallamothu, Ashley Nobi, Olivia Thomas, Grace Tung, Megan Saunders, Maddie Slack, Cydney Wong, and team captain, Pam Zhang enthusiastically made up Holton’s Level I team. The group earned five first place finishes, one third, one fourth, and one fifth. Their strong performance earned them not only an impressive top five ranking in eight out of the possible 10 events, but first place in the Level I overall standings.

The determined AP team consisted of team captain, Johanna Garfinkel ’15, Mira Gill ’15, Nyrah Humayun ’14, Glenda Smerin ’15, Noori Srivastava’14, Christina Stevens ’15, and Ashley Willard ’15. With two first places, one second, and three thirds, the Level II team earned first place overall in the competition, unseating Thomas S. Wooton High School from its six-year winning streak. “The girls put their hearts and minds into the lengthy training and pulled off the 20 events together” said chemistry teacher and Chemathon mentor Xu Duan. “For me, it was with great joy to see our students reaching this far: witnessing our younger students rising strong, and seeing our seniors, whom I have known for three years, walking away with more decorated accomplishments.”

In addition to their victory at the 30th Annual Chemathon, Holton juniors Johanna Garfinkel and Ashley Willard participated at Catholic University in the invitational National Chemistry Olympiad on Tuesday, April 22. They had qualified for the National Chemistry Olympiad by scoring among the top 19 students in the Washington area Regional Chemistry Olympiad.