TJHSST  Academic  Boosters      Math  and  Science  OlympiadsMath  and  Science  Olympiads      TJ  has  five  academic  teams  that  participate  in  qualifying  exams  used  to  select  the  US  teams  for  international  Olympiads  in  math,  biology,  chemistry,  physics  and  computer  programming  (informatics).      Some  of  these  TJ  teams  also  participate  in  other  subject-­‐specific  competitions.  

   

TJ’s  Math  Team  holds  practices  during  and  after  school.    Most  practices  are  designed  to  hone  students’  problem  solving  skills,  while  after-­‐school  USA  Math  Olympiad  practices  also  train  students  to  do  formal  math  proofs.    Students  

participate  in  many  math  contests  at  TJ,  including  the  AMC  10,  AMC  12,  AIME,  and  USA(J)MO.    Team  members  also  travel  to  competitions  at  Princeton,  Duke,  

Harvard/MIT,  and  the  American  Regions  Math  League  at  Penn  State.    In  2009-­‐2010,  TJ’s  A  team  placed  second  at  the  Duke  Math  Meet,  second  at  the  Princeton  Math  Competition  and  fourth  at  the  Harvard-­‐MIT  Math  Tournament.    In  2010,  thirteen  TJ  students  qualified  to  take  the  USA(J)MO.    Faculty  Sponsors:    Pat  Gabriel  and  Jennifer  Allard  Officers:  Akshar  Wunnava  ‘10;  Brian  Hamrick  ‘10;  Renjie  You  ‘10  TJ  Website:    http://activities.tjhsst.edu/vmt      

   TJ  has  Freshman,  Intermediate  and  Senior-­‐level  Computer  Teams.    The  teams  participate  in  regional,  national  and  international  competitions  at  school  and  around  the  country.    Competitions  include  the  USA  Computing  Olympiad,  Association  of  Computing  Machinery,  Internet  Problem  Solving  Contest,  Topcoder,  and  Continental  Math  League.    In  2009,  in  the  American  Computer  Science  League  All-­‐Star  competition,  the  Freshman  team  tied  for  third  in  the  Junior  Division  and  the  Intermediate  team  placed  third  in  the  Senior  Division.    In  2009,  TJ’s  Senior  Team  sent  three  students  to  the  USA  Computing  Olympiad  training  camp,  and  one  team  member  represented  the  USA  at  the  International  Olympiad  in  Informatics.      Faculty  Sponsors:    Shane  Torbert  (Senior  Team),  Ann  Drobnis  (Intermediate  Team)  and  Steve  Rose  (Freshman  Team)  Senior  Team  Officers:  Brian  Hamrick  ‘10;  Jack  Chen  ’10;  Andre  Kessler  ‘11  Website:    http://activities.tjhsst.edu/sct    

   TJ’s  Biology  Olympiad  club  team  meets  during  8th  period  to  prepare  students  for  the  USA  Biology  Olympiad  qualifying  exams.    In  2010,  32  TJ  students  qualified  as  semifinalists,  out  of  500  nationwide  semifinalists  and  one  student  qualified  as  one  of  the  20  USA  Biology  Olympiad  National  Finalist.    The  National  Finalists  train  at  Purdue  University  and  compete  for  one  of  the  four  USA  Team  members.    TJ’s  Biology  team  also  competes  at  the  Biology  Bowl  at  Clemson  University.      Faculty  Sponsor:    Ithalda  Uston  Officers:  Luke  Cheng  ‘10  TJ  Website:    http://activities.tjhsst.edu/bioolympiad  USABO  Website:    http://www.cee.org/programs/usabo      

 Sponsored  by  the  American  Chemical  Society,  the  USA  Chemistry  Olympiads  are  designed  to  encourage  more  students  to  pursue  chemistry.    Current  rules  allow  12  TJ  

students  to  compete  in  the  Local  Exam,  and  two  students  who  have  not  been  to  the  training  camp  to  take  the  National  Exam.  At  TJ,  Chemistry  Olympiad  is  open  to  students  who  are  enrolled  in  or  have  completed  AP  Chemistry.    Members  participate  in  problem-­‐based  and  inquiry  lab  skill  development  sessions  to  prepare  for  qualifying  exams.    In  2009,  TJ  sent  one  student  to  the  USA  Chemistry  Olympiad  Training  camp.    In  2010,  three  students  qualified  to  take  the  National  Exam.      Faculty  Sponsor:    Hadan  Kauffman  Website  (USA  Chemistry  Olympiad):  http://tinyurl.com/djj7yu        

   TJ’s  Physics  Team  meets  to  prepare  for  qualifying  exams  for  the  USA  Physics  Olympiad  and  AAPT  Physics  Bowl;  students  discuss  physics  topics  and  practice  solving  knotty  physics  problems.    In  2009,  eight  members  were  semifinalists  on  the  USA  Physics  Olympiad  exams  and  one  TJ  Physics  team  member  qualified  for  the  USA  Physics  Olympiad  training  camp.    So  far  in  2010,  29  members  are  semifinalists  on  the  USA  Physics  Olympiad  exams.      Faculty  Sponsor:    John  Dell  Officers:  Daniel  Li  ‘10  Website:    http://activities.tjhsst.edu/physics  

 

 TJ’s  Botball  team  builds  robots,  programs  them  in  a  C  variant,  holds  robot  competitions,  and  competes  in  the  annual  Greater  DC  Regional  Botball  tournament.    In  2010,  TJ  sent  three  teams  to  the  regional  tournament,  earning  top  scores  in  Documentation,  the  Seeding  round,  and  on-­‐site  Presentation.      Faculty  Sponsor:    Marion  Billington  Website:    http://activities.tjhsst.edu/botball  

   TJ  has  a  chess  club  that  meets  during  lunch  and  8th  period,  and  competes  in  

local,  state  and  national  tournaments.    In  2010,  TJ’s  Chess  Team  won  its  12th  straight  Virginia  State  Championships  and  tied  for  second  at  nationals    

Faculty  Sponsor:    Phil  Ero  Parent  Coaches:    Rick  &  Linda  Loffredo  Officers:  Aryan  Khojandi  '10  and  Craig  Saperstein  '11  Website:    http://activities.tjhsst.edu/chess      

 TJ’s  Science  Olympiad  Team  is  new  this  year.    Science  Olympiad  competitions  are  like  academic  track  meets,  consisting  of  a  series  of  23  team  events  in  various  topics,  such  as  genetics,  earth  science,  chemistry,  anatomy,  physics,  geology,  astronomy,  mechanical  engineering  and  technology    At  the  regional  competition,  all  three  TJ  15-­‐person  teams  received  a  team  award.    Team  awards  are  given  out  to  the  top  four  overall  scores.  In  addition  to  the  overall  team  awards,  TJ  students  received  medals  in  14  individual  events,  including  5  first  place  finishes.    At  the  State  competition,  TJ  ‘s  team  placed  third.    The  team  placed  in  9  individual  events,  including  seven  first  place  finishes.    Faculty  Sponsor:    Carol  Rychlik  Officers:  Jenny  Yung  '10,  Kimee  Moore  ’10,  Franklin  Zheng  ‘10  Website:  http://soinc.org/    

   

BowlBowls  Teamss  Teams    TJ  has  five  academic  teams  that  use  a  jeopardy-­‐like  format  (including  buzzers)  to  test  students’  knowledge  of  specific  subjects.    Depending  on  the  subject,  TJ’s  teams  compete  in  local,  regional  and  national  competitions.    Several  also  host  annual  competitions  for  other  teams  at  TJ.  

   TJ  fields  Quiz  Bowl  teams  at  local,  regional  and  national  tournaments,  where  students  answer  questions  about  a  broad  range  of  topics.    In  2009,  TJ  Quiz  Bowl  team  won  the  VHSL  Scholastic  Bowl  State  Championship.  In  2010,  TJ  Quiz  Bowl  teams  continued  in  their  winning  ways.    In  addition  to  competing,  TJ’s  Quiz  Bowl  team  hosts  an  annual  regional  Quiz  Bowl  Tournament  for  other  high  school  teams.    Faculty  Sponsor:    Carolyn  Gecan  Officers:  Seoup  Youn  ’11,  Jacob  Kannarkat  ’10,  Greyson  Lewis  ’10,  Diana  Gerr  ’11  Website:    http://activities.tjhsst.edu/itsacademic      

   TJ  fields  three  or  more  teams  at  most  Certamen,  where  students  answer  questions  about  Latin  grammar  and  vocabulary,  Latin-­‐based  etymology,  Roman  history  and  culture,  and  classical  mythology.    In  2010,  TJ  teams  continue  their  winning  ways  –      

winning  team  trophies  and  individual  medals.    At  the  Virginia  State  Finals,  TJ’s  Level  I  teams  earned  third;  the  Level  II  teams  placed  second  and  the  Level  III  team  won  the  State  Championship.  In  addition,  TJ  hosts  an  annual  Certamen.    Faculty  Sponsors:    Christine  Conklin  Officers:    Chris  Kilgore  ‘10,  Amith  Ananthram  ‘10  Website  for  TJ  Latin  Honor  Society  (related):    http://activities.tjhsst.edu/latin  

   In  Japan  Bowl,  three-­‐student  teams  answer  questions  about  Japanese  language,  culture,  history,  geography,  and  current  events.    In  2010,  TJ’s  Level  2  (beginner)  team  placed  4th  and  TJ’s  Level  3  (intermediate)  team  placed  5th.    Faculty  Sponsor:    Koji  Otani  Japan  Bowl  Website:  http://www.us-­‐japan.org/dc/japanbowl.php  

   TJ’s  Ocean  Bowl  A  and  B  teams,  each  of  which  has  five  members,  learn  about  scientific  disciplines  used  to  study  oceans  (physics,  chemistry,  geology,  atmospheric  science  and  biology)  and  about  the  impact  of  oceans  on  economies,  history,  and  culture.    In  2010,  at  the  regional  Chesapeake  Bay  Bowl  competition,  the  TJ-­‐team  placed  first  and  then  placed  seventh  at  the  National  Competition  in  St.  Petersburg,  FL.    Faculty  Sponsor:    Lisa  Wu  Website:    http://activities.tjhsst.edu/oceanbowl  

   Sponsored  by  the  US  Department  of  Energy,  Science  Bowl  tests  students’  knowledge  of  biology,  chemistry,  physics,  earth  science,  astronomy,  and  math.    So  far,  in  2010,  the  TJ  Science  Bowl  team  placed  first  place  at  the  Virginia  Regional  Science  Bowl  competition  and  competed  at  the  National  Science  Bowl.    Faculty  Sponsor:    Sharon  Webb  Website  (US):  http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/nsb/default.htm  

   

Debate  and  SpeechDebate  and  Speech  Teams  Teams    TJ  has  three  debate  teams  and  one  speech  (forensics)  team,  which  participate  in  the  Washington  Area  Catholic  Forensic  League  (WACFL),  VA  High  School  League  (VHSL),  and  national  tournaments.  In  2009-­‐10,  TJ’s  debate  and  speech  teams  collectively  performed  extremely  well  at  WACFL  Metrofinals  and  VHSL  Regionals.    A  record  number  of  students  qualified  for  NCFL  Nationals.        

 In  Lincoln-­‐Douglas  (LD)  Debate,  students  debate  different  topics  every  other  month,  with  a  focus  on  arguing  core  values.    In  2009-­‐10  at  WACFL  Metrofinals,  five  LD  Debate  students  qualified  for  NCFL  Nationals.    Faculty  Sponsor:  Sherwood  Williams  Officers:  Akash  Gupta  ’11,  Christine  O’Donnell  ‘10  Website:    http://activities.tjhsst.edu/debate    

 In  Policy  Debate,  two-­‐person  teams  research  and  debate  one  topic  throughout  the  school  year,  using  evidence  to  develop  a  plan  and  critique  opponents’  plans.    In  2009-­‐2010,  at  WACFL  Metrofinals,  three  TJ  teams  (6  students)  qualified  for  NCFL  Nationals  

and  the  team  won  first  place  sweepstakes  award,  which  is  awarded  based  on  high  team  rankings.    Faculty  Sponsor:  Thomas  Steele  Officers:  Hannah  Clark  ‘10;  Franklin  Zheng  ‘10  Website:  http://activities.tjhsst.edu/policy      

 In  Public  Forum  debate,  two-­‐person  teams  debate  different  topics  monthly  in  a  cross-­‐fire  question  and  answer  style.    In  2009-­‐10,  three  TJ  Public  Forum  teams  (6  students)  qualified  for  NCFL  Nationals,  and  the  team  tied  for  first  at  WACFL  Public  Forum  Metrofinals.    Faculty  Sponsor:    Michael  Miller  Officers:  Seoup  Youn  ’11,  Cindy  Han  ’11    

 

 In  2009-­‐10,  two  TJ’s  speech/forensics  team  members  qualified  for  NCFL  Nationals  in  original  oratory  and  one  duo  team  qualified  for  NCFL  Nationals.      Faculty  Sponsor:    Milde  Waterfall  Officer:    Rebecca  Friedman  ’10  

   

Other  Academic  TeamsOther  Academic  Teams        

   In  Model  United  Nations  (MUN),  students  research  international  issues,  and  act  as  representatives  for  specific  foreign  countries  during  local,  regional  and  national  Model  UN  conferences  throughout  the  year.    TJ’s  MUN  team  and  individuals  regularly  take  home  top  awards  from  these  conferences.    In  addition,  TJ’s  MUN  sponsors  an  annual  TechMUN  for  local  middle  and  high  school  delegates.    Faculty  Sponsor:    Alexandra  Pou  and  John  Struck  Officers:  Swetha  Pasala  ’10;  Sid  Bhatia  ‘10  Website:    http://activities.tjhsst.edu/mun  

   Future  Problem  Solvers  work  individually  or  in  4-­‐person  teams  to  quickly  identify  issues  in  a  hypothetical  situation,  devise  solutions,  and  draft  a  detailed  plan  to  implement  one  solution.    In  2009-­‐10,  27  TJ  students  qualified  for  the  Virginia  FPS  State  Bowl.      At  the  State  Bowl,  TJ  teams  placed  first  and  second  and  one  student  

placed  first  in  the  individual  section.    Faculty  Sponsors:    Emily  Orser  and  Judith  Bello  Officers:    Daniel  Sun  ‘11  Website:    http://activities.tjhsst.edu/fps    

   This  competition  offers  teams  a  choice  of  five  problems,  ranging  from  designing  and  building  devices  to  writing  and  performing  skits.    TJ’s  Odyssey  of  the  Mind  (OotM)  teams  compete  at  regional,  state  and  world  OotM  competitions.    In  2009-­‐10,  three  TJ  teams  competed  at  the  regional  competition,  and  two  teams  advanced  to  the  state  competition.    TJ  also  hosts  a  Spontaneous  Invitational  for  elementary  and  middle  school  students.    Teacher  Sponsor:    Judith  Bello  Parent  Liaison:    Nupur  Kapoor  Officers:  Nicole  Yu  ‘10