For the third consecutive year the Kickemuit Middle School entry into the state Science Olympiad captured the overall team title amongst a group of 13 other competitors. The 2025 local Olympiad took place April 12 at Rhode Island College in Providence.

The state-wide competition is overseen by the RIC Science Department with contribution throughout the year by both Brown and Harvard Universities.

KMS completed the STEM —science, technology, engineering and mathematics — event with a total team score of 48 points. North Cumberland was second with 55 and Barrington third with 100.

KMS students earned six gold medals, nine silvers and three bronze. In the remaining three events, team members earned fourth, fifth and sixth-place results.

"The team showcased their incredible talent and teamwork by placing in the top three in 18 out of 21 events," said team advisor and KMS STEM teacher Kerri Krawczyk, who acknowledged the aid Roger Williams University student and district alumna Abby Heroux, who intends to be a high school Chemistry teacher and "very dedicated parents."

For their efforts in state, the KMS crew qualified to compete in the National Science Olympiad Tournament at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, May 23-24. The Huskies finished 46th a year ago at nationals. Krawczyk said the goal of her students this year is to top the best-ever result for a Rhode Island middle school team, which is 37th.

The Rhode Island competition was broken down into the following categories: Air Trajectory, Anatomy, Codebusters, Crime Busters, Disease Detectives, Dynamic Planet, Ecology, Entomology, Experimental Design, Fossils, Helicopter, Meteorology, Metric Mastery, Microbe Mission, Mission Possible, Reach for the Stars, Road Scholar, Scrambler, Tower, Wind Power and Write It Do It. Students work mostly in teams of pairs, but in some events are in threes.

The KMS Olympiad students and the categories in which they medaled and participated were: Alex Barowy - Dynamic Planet (silver), Scrambler, Disease Detectives (bronze), Experimental Design (silver), Scrambler (bronze); Kenny Dunning - Helicopter (silver), Codebusters (silver), Ecology; Zachary Oliver - Helicopter (silver), Reach for the Stars (silver), Wind Power (bronze); Esme O’Shea - Tower (gold), Anatomy & Physiology (gold), Road Scholar (gold); Auden O’Shea - Mission Possible (gold), Anatomy & Physiology (gold), Entomology (gold), Microbe Mission; Dario Coletta - Mission Possible (gold), Entomology (gold), Fossils (gold); Natalie Christina - Tower (gold), Fossils (gold), Dynamic Planet (silver), Meteorology (silver); Emma Sorrentino - Crime Busters (silver), Codebusters (silver), Experimental Design (silver), Meteorology (silver); Milo Viele - Scrambler (bronze), Metric Mastery; Megan Perusek - Crime Busters (silver), Reach for the Stars (silver); Ivan Nanson - Air Trajectory, Road Scholar, Microbe Mission; Cecilia Dias - Metric Mastery, Codebusters (silver); Sophia Papa - Write It Do It (silver), Ecology; Elise Godbout - Experimental Design (silver), Write It Do It (sliver), Disease Detectives (bronze); Ben Campbell - Wind Power (bronze), Air Trajectory (silver); and Olivia Overy - Science Bowl (bronze).

Krawczyk added, "We’re incredibly proud of our students for their hard work, dedication and outstanding performance. The work put in here at the middle school is paying off at the high school level as well. Thanks to the amazing adult mentors that have helped the students prepare for their events."

Krawczyk also wished to thank the Bristol Warren School District, Bristol Rotary and Bristol Warren Educational Foundation for their financial support of the team.

The KMS crew will be soliciting donations to help pay for its trip to Nebraska with a table at the Mt. Hope Farm Farmers Market on Saturday, May 3, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Of note as well from the aforementioned secondary level Olympiad, the Mt. Hope High School group placed third as a team with 133 points behind the winners from Barrington with 43 and Cumberland in second with 126. Individual Eagles took first place in 11 of the events. Twenty teams total vied in the high school portion of the competition.

Highlights for MHHS included: a first-place finish in Dynamic Planet by Nathan James and Rowan Mark; a pair of second place results in Experimental Design by Beatrix Farrell, Emma Gordon and Ellie Donovan and in Geological Mapping by Stella Kitchen and James; as well as two third-place awards in Wind Power by Mitchell Kitchen and Parker Oliver and in Bungee Drop by Madison Kristopik.

The State Coaches Award for overall effort by the group was presented to the entire Mt. Hope team: Hazel Bradley, Samantha Campbell, Max Chartier, Donovan, Farrell, Gordon, James, Mitchell Kitchen, Stella Kitchen, Kristopik, Mark, Parker Oliver, Mia Osimboni, Lily Parisi, Evan Vallante and Avery Walsh. MHHS Science Department Chair Jennifer Alexander and teacher Mary Arsenault were the advisors.