West Central High School Science Olympiad Team Qualifies For State

The West Central High School Science Olympiad Team is made up of veteran seniors Drake Vancil, Addison Webster, and Joshua Covert, along with freshmen Nevaeh Parker and Nadia Good. This year, the team competed at the regional Science Olympiad competition held at Western Illinois University in Macomb.

Although the team did not have enough members to compete for the overall team award, they delivered an impressive performance in several individual events. Freshmen Nadia Good and Nevaeh Parker earned an outstanding first-place finish in the Entomology competition, outperforming more than a dozen schools as they identified insect specimens using detailed clues and scientific knowledge. Their first-place finish qualified them to advance to the state competition.

Seniors Addison Webster and Drake Vancil placed sixth overall in the Astronomy competition, demonstrating strong analytical and problem-solving skills against tough regional competition. Their strong performance also earned them a spot at the state event.

Joshua Covert traveled with the team as an alternate but was unable to compete due to his partner’s illness.

Both the Entomology and Astronomy teams will represent West Central at the State Science Olympiad competition in Crystal Lake on April 25. In true scientific spirit—and to help fund their trip—the team is making and selling homemade lye soap to support their travel expenses.