Battle Ground Academy News

Battle Ground Academy’s Upper School and Middle School Science Olympiad teams delivered strong performances at the Middle Tennessee State University Regional Competition on Feb. 21, with the Middle School team earning a fifth-place overall finish and advancing to the Tennessee State Science Olympiad Tournament.

Competing in one of the region’s most rigorous STEM events, students across both divisions demonstrated preparation, problem-solving, and collaboration throughout the day. The Middle School team’s qualification was especially notable given the team’s smaller size and selective event participation.

The Middle School team, coached by Emily Fish, captured two first-place finishes and secured an overall fifth-place team result to qualify for the Tennessee State Science Olympiad Tournament at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville this April.

Middle School Medalists

First place — Entomology
Graham Watson and Gracyn Watson

First place — Metric Mastery
Caitlin Sheehan

Fourth place — Solar System
Will Westerman and Annabelle Jones

Fifth place — Machines
Ved Patel and Hollis Moats

Fifth place — Rocks and Minerals
Annabelle Jones and Gracyn Watson

Fifth place — Write It Do It
Brennan Bobbitt and Ava Wollas

Fifth place — Codebusters
Caitlin Sheehan and Annabelle Jones

Fifth place — Dynamic Planet
Annabelle Jones and Gracyn Watson

Fifth place — Water Quality
Ava Wollas and Caitlin Sheehan

Sixth place — Circuit Lab
Graham Watson and Will Westerman

Fifth graders Brennan Bobbitt and Addy Genovese also competed admirably against older students, gaining valuable experience for future competitions.

The Upper School team, coached by Al Byrnes and Claytan Bondy, consisted of 15 students representing all four grade levels and earned numerous individual event honors, highlighted by a first-place finish in Robot Tour.

Upper School Medalists

First place — Robot Tour
Katy Tallent and Jimin Lee

Second place — Chemistry Lab
Max Froio and Andrew Nickel

Third place — Boomilever
Clark Farler and Allie Williams

Fourth place — Astronomy
Lion Hendrickson and Andrew Nickel

Fourth place — Hovercraft
Devin Wadia and Christian Picciurro

Fifth place — Electric Vehicle
Clark Farler and Max Froio

Fifth place — Experimental Design
Lola Padula, Allie Williams, and Raquel Gorman

Fifth place — Machines
Lion Hendrickson and Davis Medsker

Freshmen Sophia Meoli, Pietro Sgarbi, and Avery Jagger also made strong contributions in their first regional competition, gaining valuable experience alongside their upperclassmen teammates.

These results reflect the continued strength and momentum of Battle Ground Academy’s Science Olympiad program. The Middle School team will represent BGA at the state tournament this spring.