CONCORD — The CCHS Science Olympiad Team, a startup just over a year old, competed at the Harvard University and Dartmouth College National Invitationals on February 1st and 15th, respectively. The team of fifteen students, led by Coach Sharon Moss and captains Evan Wang, Noah Arthur, Maggie Li, Kevin (Chengzhe) Jiang, and Evelyn Mudge placed 14th overall out of nearly seventy teams at Harvard and later to placed 1st place overall at Dartmouth in a dominant national performance. At the 2025 State Tournament, the team placed 11th, jumping 28 places from its inaugural year placement of 39th.
Above: The team with their Dartmouth medals and trophy. From left to right: Evan Wang (‘26), Francesca (’26), Ryan Ma (’26), Jason Shang (’27), Jude Hedlund (’27), Kevin (Chengzhe) Jiang (’26), Jacob Gettings (’27), Shaunit Bajoria (’26), Evelyn Mudge (’26), Sofia Foster (’27), Gabrielle Whidden (’26), Maggie Li (’27). Not pictured but part of the Dartmouth-going team: Matthew Evans (’26), Ben Nugent (’27), Alex Koh (’25), Tricia Cronin (’27), Jakab Renyi (’26), and Coaches Ms. Sharon Moss and Mr. Pennucci
Since September, in preparation for the competition’s 23 events, team members spent late nights fine-tuning engineering events like air trajectory, tower building, wind power, and bungee drop. Captains Evan Wang and Noah Arthur designed and printed 3D molds for building a lightweight tower and stayed late to test their bungee with physics teachers.
Meanwhile, Maggie Li led others in study events. Meanwhile, others studied for rigorous academic events, ranging from botany to anatomy. Every Wednesday, during lunch blocks and early mornings, the team gathered to check on builds and grind out practice tests that could be found online.
Ryan Ma (26′) and Matthew Evans (26′) working on the Tower event in the club meeting room (431) at CCHS
Their dedication paid off: On February 1st, the team assembled before sunrise at CCHS, and traveled to Harvard University for a day of national and intense STEM competition. At Harvard, CCHS had three top 10 finishes and ten sub-twenty event finishes, outcompeting teams from Florida, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, and New Hampshire.
The Harvard-going team above. From left to right: Maggie Li (’27), Ryan Ma (’26), Charles Cheng (’26), Eston Brainerd (’26), Evan Wang (’26), Noah Arthur (’26), Francesca Heh (’26), Maxim Shajenko (’27), Coach Ms. Sharon Moss, Jakab Reyni (’26), Gabrielle Whidden (’26), Jason Shang (’27), Kevin (Chengzhe) Jiang (’26), Alex Koh (’25), Tricia Cronin (’27), Evelyn Mudge (’26). Not pictured: Matthew Evans (’26).
Captain Noah Arthur (’26) prepares for the Bungee Drop test at Harvard University
Concord-Carlisle students Maxim Shajenko and Jason Shang placed sixth in Entomology, identifying insect orders and taxonomy with precision. Noah Arthur and Jakab Renyi took fourth place in Bungee Drop, successfully calculating Hookian physics with accuracy. In Geologic Mapping, Maggie Li and Alexander Koh secured eighth place, showcasing their skill in analyzing topographic data. Overall, the team placed 14th out of 69 teams, with sights set on winning the Dartmouth Invitational.
Francesca Heh (’26) and Gabrielle Whidden (’26) load up the Air Trajectory machine for launch at Harvard University
Wanting to beat well-seasoned teams, the next weeks were dedicated to rigorous preparation. Every day, builders Ryan Ma and Matthew Evans worked in the CCHS Fabrication Lab on the team tower while captains Maggie Li and Evan Wang organized team practice testing. Coach Moss and the captains assembled boxes of event tools and materials throughout the week, and peers taught each other on the whiteboard.
Captain Kevin (Chengzhe) Jiang (’26) and Shaunit Bajoria (‘26) prepare the testing parameters for Air Trajectory at a Western Suburban Science League meet for other Massachusetts teams
The sunrise on the road to New Hampshire for the Dartmouth Invitational. Photo taken by Captain Maggie Li (’27).
On February 15th, the team traveled North to Dartmouth College. There, CCHS succeeded in their goal, winning first place by securing nine first-place event finishes, and placing in the top three for 18 out of 24 events, outcompeting national qualifiers from New Hampshire and Vermont.
In life science events, Captains Chengzhe Jiang and Evan Wang claimed first place in Microbe Mission, demonstrating expertise in microbiology and molecular biology. The team’s disease experts and captains, Maggie Li, and Evelyn Mudge, secured first place in Disease Detectives, skillfully analyzing epidemiological case studies. In Entomology, Jason Shang and Jude Hedlund navigated insect classification and morphology to clinch the gold medal. Alexander Koh and Sofia Foster emerged victorious and first place in Ecology, testing their way to the top.
Captains Kevin (Chengzhe) Jiang (’26) and Evan Wang (’26) in the Microbe Mission exam at Dartmouth College
In Earth science events, Maggie Li and Ryan Ma dominated the Dynamic Planet exam, showcasing their knowledge of Earth’s climate systems, taking home another gold medal. In Geologic Mapping, an event testing topographical analysis and rock identification, Alexander Koh and Shaunit Bajoria took home another first place. In physical science events, Evan Wang and Maggie Li took first place in Chemistry Lab, mastering complex reactions and titration calculations.
Engineering and build events also saw outstanding performances. Shaunit Bajoria and Jakab Renyi executed a perfect free-fall calculation to win first place in Bungee Drop, and Gabrielle Whidden and Jude Hedlund placed third in Helicopter, ensuring maximum flight time with a carefully designed rotor system. The Electric Vehicle team, consisting of Jakab Renyi and Shaunit Bajoria, engineered a precise battery-powered car to take second place, while Ryan Ma and Matthew Evans placed third in Tower, constructing a lightweight structure capable of holding hundreds of times its weight. Robot Tour, piloted by Jakab Renyi and Shaunit Bajoria, also secured second place, demonstrating exceptional autonomous navigation skills.
The CCHS team regroups during lunch in Dartmouth Hall at Dartmouth College.
Other standout finishes included second place in Forensics by Jason Shang and Jude Hedlund, as well as second place in Fossils by Sofia Foster and Ben Nugent. Even in the highly competitive events, the team delivered strong results, finishing fourth in Air Trajectory (Gabrielle Whidden and Jude Hedlund), fourth in Codebusters (Tricia Cronin and Jason Shang), and fourth in Wind Power (Gabrielle Whidden and Jacob Gettings).
The selected CCHS Science Olympiad team to represent at the 2025 State Tournament. Photo taken in front of CCHS. From left to right: Evan Wang (’26), Eston Brainerd (’26), Matthew Evans (’26), Aashir Rana (’26), Jason Shang (’27), Jude Hedlund (’27), Maxim Shajenko (’27), Maxim Klimashov (’27), Kevin (Chengzhe) Jiang (’26), Team Coach Ms. Sharon Moss, Shaunit Bajoria (’26), Alex Koh (’25), Francesca Heh (’26), Ryan Ma (’26), Noah Arthur (’26), Evelyn Mudge (’26), Maggie Li (’27), Tricia Cronin (’27), Gabrielle Whidden (’26)
On Saturday, March 1st, the CCHS Science Olympiad team competed at the final tournament of the 2025 season — the Massachusetts Science Olympiad State Tournament. There, the team dominated in its performance, placing 11th out of almost 70 teams in only its second year, jumping an astounding 28 places from the previous season (39th) and surpassing years-old and well-seasoned Science Olympiad teams in Massachusetts. The season also ended with the team placing 5th in the Western Suburban Science League (WSSL) out of 18 local Massachusetts teams in only its first year in the league.
Full Team Scores:
Harvard
Dartmouth
States
WSSL
CCHS Science Olympiad can be followed on Instagram, where all team news and photos can be found (@cchs.scienceolympiad). The team continues its pursuit of pushing the limits of what is possible for a high school STEM team.