A balsa wood tower, a maze-solving robot and knowledge of entomology may not be the tools of choice for typical Olympians. But for the Falmouth High School Science Olympiad team, all three helped bring home a trophy.

At the beginning of April, the team won the Maine Science Olympiad competition for the first time since its founding over 15 years ago. Later this month, the 15-member team will head to the national tournament in Lincoln, Nebraska. In the meantime, they’re studying up on all areas of science.

“Now that we see our potential, and now that we can actually see that we’re actually doing really well, I think we’re a lot more motivated to study now with all these different topics,” said Matheus Grisoli Meirelles, 16.

Science Olympiad is a nationwide competition in which student teams compete in 23 events spanning all areas of science, from physics to coding to paleontology. Events include written knowledge tests, hands-on experiments and engineering challenges. Typically, two students per team collaborate on each event, and the team with the lowest combined event score wins.

Some states hold regional competitions before state finals, but with only 13 teams in Maine, the competition both began and ended at the state championship in Orono on April 12. Falmouth had been steadily building a formidable team over the years and came close last year, losing to Waynflete School by just a few points. This year, they finally took the top spot.

“I wouldn’t say I was surprised,” said Andrew Njaa, Falmouth High School physics teacher and coach of the team alongside technology and engineering teacher Ethan Whited.

With state trophy in hand, the team has about a month to prepare for the national tournament. Representing one of the smallest states in terms of number of teams, Falmouth is motivated to show what it can do on the big stage.

“We’re definitely super excited to go this year. We’re gonna try really hard. Definitely the odds are stacked against us,” said Falmouth High School senior Harlan Haller, a leader of the team.

“So competing against states that a lot more teams pull from, it’s hard to do, but I think we have a fighting chance to sort of punch above our weight and we’re excited,” he said.

Three years ago, when the national championship was being held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Falmouth High School competed nationally after Waynflete forfeited its first-place spot. Falmouth finished dead last at nationals. This time around, the goal is to place 40th or better.

“It’s nice when you’re hoping but not expecting,” said Njaa.

The Falmouth Science Olympiad team started in 2008 when a student proposed the idea to Njaa. Having coached Science Olympiad in Minnesota during the 1990s, he helped launch the team, which has since grown into a popular extracurricular. Today, it draws about 30 students each year, many of whom participate for all four years of high school.

Over the years, Falmouth students have met afterschool to engineer robotic arms, helicopters, salinity sensors and even cellos to contend in Science Olympiad. They have also built friendships, teamwork skills and a new appreciation for the application of science beyond the classroom.

“It’s different than working with science class, because (that) feels very individual. This is more like teamwork and building community,” said Yuanne Lin, a senior and team leader. The wooden towers she builds with a teammate Adriana Rogow consistently win Science Olympiad competitions by bearing the most weight.

“It’s also more enjoyable. There’s some stress in it but less than school and you can choose your interests,” said Elias Haller, a junior whose bungee drop entry won first place this year.

To get to the national tournament, students are fundraising for their travel with bake sales and community contributions and figuring out the logistics of transporting their engineering projects to the Midwest. Through the chaos of preparation, they are excited by the chance to take on bigger science challenges at nationals on May 23.

“We’ve never done anything this big. I’m excited to just experience it,” said Lin.