CdM students have recently showcased their extensive chemistry prowess: The great-minded team of Annabel Algazi, Leah Krylovetsky, Ethan Chao, Linh Tran, Brody Majit, and Ethan Pham managed to seize 4th place out of 27 high schools in the annual American Chemical Society First-Year Chemistry Test. What’s more, Annabel Algazi managed to seize first place in the county. With an extensive amount of both group and independent study, Algazi managed to score an 84 (93%) in the competition, soaring past the county average of 57 (63%) by a massive 27 points.
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nationwide scientific community focused on (rather obviously) studies and research in the field of chemistry. ACS engages in all sorts of different projects— according to Kim Ngo, CdMHS chemistry teacher and active member of ACS, the Chemical Society engages in vast swaths of chemistry-related activities: “We do a lot of community outreach for chemistry, we do a yearly chemistry competition, we do an olympiad, which is a nationwide competition, and we highlight chemistry projects as well.” Mainly, though, Mrs. Ngo’s focus is on preparing her students for the yearly, county-wide test. Exclusive to first-year chemistry students, the test requires students to learn massive amounts of information on top of the already-rigorous Honors Chemistry curriculum. She assisted Algazi and her teammates in any way possible to prepare, but also noted the “grit” possessed by her students was incredibly impressive—discussing her excitement on hearing of Algazi’s placement, she said, “I’m so proud. I’m very proud of her achievements, the grit she put into studying for it on her own, independently. I’m also proud not just of her achievements, but also the entire team: Not just did she score highly, but the entire team as well, achieving 4th place in the county.”
The test itself was a similar format to Mrs. Ngo’s Honors Chemistry unit tests—as Algazi noted, “the test was a 90-question MCQ (Multiple-Choice Question), and an optional tiebreaker. You didn’t have to fill out the tiebreaker, but it mattered if you tied with someone. We had about 2 hours for the whole test.” The familiarity with the test structure did help, but it was a minor reason for Algazi’s success in comparison to her hard work and determination to study. The ACS First-Year Chemistry test possessed a significant amount of content that isn’t included in the Honors Chemistry curriculum, and as such, Algazi had to put in a significant amount of time for independent study. “I spent a few hours studying for it.” She said, “We had a bunch of meetings where we studied together. It was at least 10 hours total.”
Algazi was not the only student who placed highly, though, and numerous other students from Mrs. Ngo’s class also scored high marks in the competition. While official scores remain confidential for all except Mrs. Ngo herself, Leah Krylovetsky, Ethan Chao, Linh Tran, Brody Majit, and Ethan Pham all performed excellently on the test and managed to bring CdM overall up to a very respectable 4th place in the competition, out of 27 schools total. As Mrs. Ngo noted, “We don’t really have a lot of academic achievement at our school in comparison to our athletics, so this achievement is all the more monumental.”
In the end, Algazi and her team’s commitment, intellect, and determination allowed them to seize both first place in individual ranking as well as 4th place in school ranking. Their incredible performance exemplifies CdM as an excellent school: not just a center for sports, but also an environment that fully allows students to showcase their intellectual talents.
