On January 11th, 2024, twenty-five students from the Somerset Hills School District competed in the New Jersey Science League Competition at nearby Ridge High School. Not only was it the first science meet of the 2023-2024 school year, but it marked the first competition since it was suspended mid-season in 2020 due to the pandemic.
New Jersey Science League competitions take place monthly from January through April, throughout the state, with different districts alternating as host schools. Bernards High School will host the competition in February. There are various test categories covering all areas of science including Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Environmental Science, and Physics. Students are scored individually on their exams, with team scores being tabulated as well; all receive state-wide rankings. There are a maximum of six students per team, in each science category. The tests are timed at fifty minutes and consist of multiple choice questions, which are scored on site to give immediate feedback.
“The Somerset Hills School District has been participating in the New Jersey Science League for over 30 years,” said BHS Physics Teacher Jim Ferrara. “It is a wonderful opportunity for our students to have more science involvement.”
In addition to Dr. Ferrara, the BHS teachers involved in the New Jersey Science League are Joe Young (Biology) and Chris Whitlock (Chemistry) at the high school level, and Brian King (Earth Science) from Bernardsville Middle School. “I’m incredibly proud of our 8th grade BMS students who study, practice, and represent SHSD in the Earth Science category. They are middle schoolers competing against high school students, and are holding their own,” shared King.
Our SHSD science scholars have a true passion for the sciences. They possess strong critical thinking skills and methodical approaches to learning. Their interest is sparked when it comes to understanding complex concepts and how the world in which they live is interconnected. They enjoy investigation, research, and discovery.
The District congratulates all of the students who competed on January 11th and is rooting for them as they prepare for their February 7th Science League Meet: Alexis Black, Nyla Failey, Simona Furfaro, David Hunscher, Nicholas Stephani, and Liam Watt in Earth Science; Malak Maiser and Vanessa Moffett in Biology II; Allison Arcentalez Shaigua, Jack Ecklund, Joseph Kalinowski, Dheirya Tyagi (tied for high score in his event), and Luis Mattos in Chemistry I; Trevor Sardis in Chemistry II; Peter D'Amato, Vanshika Gupta, Ayla Johnson, Jillian Kaneniser, Jordan Kaneniser, and Gabriel Scotton in Physics I; and Daniel Adams, Simon Bramwit, Monique Kefala-Dori, Matt Oliviera, and Evan Seker in Physics C.