The Ladue Schools community is excited to celebrate an extraordinary achievement for Ladue Schools! Both the Ladue Middle School (LMS) and Ladue Horton Watkins High School (LHWHS) Science Olympiad teams captured 1st place at the Missouri State Science Olympiad Finals this past Saturday at the University of Central Missouri — and both teams have earned the right to compete at the National Tournament in Lincoln, Nebraska this May!

The LMS Science Olympiad team put on a truly dominant performance, besting rival schools such as Pembroke Hill (Kansas City), Wydown, Sperreng, John Burroughs, and 30 other top teams from across Missouri.

• Medaled in 22 of 23 events
• Placed in the Top 7 in all events
• Captured 11 first-place, eight second-place, and two third-place medals

Their combined event score was a remarkably low 46 points, ahead of second-place Pembroke Hill (59 points) and third-place Wydown (126 points). In Science Olympiad scoring, the lower the score, the better, and this total reflects an extraordinary level of consistency, skill, and teamwork.

“This has been a special season because of how many students we have been able to support and allow to compete early in the school year at multiple competitions,” stated Michael Clay, an 8th-grade science teacher and Science Olympiad head coach at Ladue Middle School. “In doing this, we have found a special group of 15 competitors who have earned their spots against very tough competition. Our current team has done a remarkable job of pushing themselves in preparation for our regionals, state, and nationals tournaments. They have embodied the team first mantra and are all trying their best to perform for each other. I could not be more proud of their effort, character, and perseverance through difficulties.”

Now, LMS sets its sights on Nationals, eager to represent Ladue Schools on the national stage!

“We are very excited,” Donna Matthews, LMS teacher and Science Olympiad coach, said. “As a coach, I am going for a three-peat. My events I specifically coach have taken first in the nation two years in a row...always hoping for the win. We do love beating all of America and Japan!”

Not to be outdone, the LHWHS Science Olympiad team also clinched first place at the state finals, triumphing over 31 of Missouri’s top high school teams!

Highlights from their stunning performance:

• Top 5 finishes in all 23 events — a feat unmatched by any Missouri high school team in the past nine years!
• An 18-point victory over long-time rival Pembroke Hill High School.
• A young, talented roster: eight sophomores, six juniors, and just one senior, promising a very bright future for the program.

This state championship marks a particularly special milestone, as it was the final state tournament for longtime head coach Mark Biernbaum, who will be retiring at the end of the year. Coach Biernbaum reflected on the team’s incredible journey this season:

"Back in September, an enthusiastic group of 35 high school students showed up, eager to be part of something meaningful. Over the course of the year, most competed in three invitational tournaments and took rigorous qualifying tests to earn their spot on the final team. Time and again, they rose to the challenge and surpassed every expectation. I couldn’t be more proud of our team’s hard work, spirit, and unwavering dedication!"

The LHWHS team will travel alongside the LMS team to Lincoln, Nebraska, in May to compete against 60 of the nation’s very best teams at Nationals.

High School Team Members:

• Rayan Ali (12)
• Sanjay Adireddi (11)
• Bryce Cooper (11)
• Michelle Jing (11)
• Max Karsh (11)
• Aiden Qian (11)
• Anthony Zhao (11)
• Medha Chode (10)
• Aimee Dalton (10)
• Aalee Khan (10)
• Abigail Moon (10)
• Steven Shaw (10)
• Newman Shen (10)
• Frank Tian (10)
• Patrick Yin (10)

Middle School Team Members:

• Zoran Pan (9)
• Eric Tang (9)
• Roger Tang (9)
• Bryan Yang (9)
• Alex Zhang (9)
• Charlie Fan (8)
• Andrea Jeliazkova (8)
• Jessie Liang (8)
• Ashley Tran (8)
• Miyasi Welivita (8)
• Chloe Zhang (8)
• Lily Zhou (8)
• Alice Chang (7)
• Oishi Dasgupta (7)
• Srihan Gandra (7)

None of this success would have been possible without the tireless dedication, expertise, and mentorship of our exceptional middle and high school coaches. Their guidance and encouragement have helped shape these outstanding teams into champions. 

Please join us in congratulating our incredible students and coaches on this historic double state championship win! We can’t wait to cheer them on as they compete at the National Science Olympiad Tournament in May.