R.C. Murphy and P.J. Gelinas junior high schools’ Science Olympiad teams have extended their longstanding tradition of excellence and once again earned a bid to compete in this year’s New York State Science Olympiad competition.

During the Eastern Long Island Science Olympiad Regional, the three teams representing Gelinas placed first, third and fourth, while Murphy’s three teams came in second, fifth and seventh. Additionally, all six teams earned multiple medals in the contest’s 20 events. With their first- and second-place wins, both schools will now advance to the New York State Science Olympiad Competition, where they will compete against the best teams from 11 different regions throughout New York State.

The students prepared for this year’s competition season with the help of their dedicated coaches, student-mentors from Ward Melville High School, and by taking part in several invitational tournaments. Gelinas placed second after competing against 51 teams at the Rustin Invitational Tournament, held in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and both Gelinas and Murphy competed in the Blue Dragon Invitational, held at Jonas Salk Middle School in Levittown. The schools’ teams dominated the playing field throughout this event and finished the contest by sweeping the top six spots.