Middle Schoolers Make History Placing 10th In National Science Tournament

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A group of middle schoolers placed 10th in the 2026 National Science Olympiad Tournament held recently at the University of Southern California - the highest placement ever achieved by a middle or high school team in Maryland.

Mount View Middle School students medaled in three events - hovercraft, water quality and codebusters. It also was the first time Maryland has received a national tournament team trophy.

Consisting of 15 members and four alternates, the MVMS team was one of 120 teams competing in the National Science Olympiad Tournament. They participated in a number of tests, chemistry experiments and specimen identification, and demonstrated complex engineering builds, according to the Howard County Public School System.

“[This year’s] results reflect not only strong preparation, but also the ability to work under pressure, communicate with partners, reason through unfamiliar problems, and support one another as a team,” said Dr. Stephen Vance, the team’s advisor. “And this was truly a team effort. Our club’s success would not have been possible without the support of the school, our families, and our many volunteers. We would like to extend our appreciation to everyone who helped our club this year.”

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