SCALACS is thrilled to announce that Max Zhou from San Marino High School has earned a coveted spot at the 2025 USNCO Study Camp, taking place June 1–14, 2025! This prestigious opportunity brings Max one step closer to representing the United States at the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) from July 5–14, 2025—set this year in the dazzling city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Congratulations, Max, and we wish him the best of luck as he pursues chemistry excellence on the world stage!
This year we had 430 students representing 35 schools for the High School Chemistry Olympiad. Testings took place on March 19 and 20. Fourteen qualified students were invited to take the National Exam on April 12, 2025 at Cal State Dominguez Hills.
The 14 students who took the National Exam on April 12 at Cal State Dominguez Hills are:
Max Zhou – San Marino High School
Connor Zhao – North Hollywood High School
Herrick Wang – Arcadia High School
Fateh Aliyev – Venice High School
Andrew Jo – Harvard Westlake High School
Saket Pamidipathri – The Science Academy STEM Magnet
Paxton Lin – Arcadia High School
Kevin Han – Palos Verdes Peninsula High School
Cooper Ren – Harvard Westlake School
Lily Wu – Venice High School
Ryan Chen – St. Francis High School
Jeremy Karkafi – San Marino High School
Jason Lai – Gretchen Whitney High School
Shimon Schlessinger – Harvard Westlake School
Below is the 111th Annual SCALACS High School Educational Awards presentation celebrating the outstanding achievements of our student participants and acknowledges the dedication and support of their teachers. We invite you to view the presentation and join us in recognizing the exceptional accomplishments of the 2025 Olympiad participants.
Thank you to Caroline Morgan, Chemistry teacher at Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School, for announcing the award winners in this presentation. All award winners have been mailed certificates in recognition of their achievements.
Thank you to Gerald Delker and Barbara Belmont, SCALACS Olympiad Councilors and Huntington Association Management team for their assistance, as well as the schools that volunteered to host students from schools that had fewer than 10 participating. We appreciate the help of these teachers who took in the additional students in their area:
Altair Maine – North Hollywood High School
Wonjong Kim – Boston Education
Anna Mkrtchyan-Antonyan – Anderson W. Clark Magnet High School
Cherryl Mynster – Arcadia High School
Benjamin Ku – South Pasadena High School
Thank you to all the students who participated in this year’s High School Chemistry Olympiad, and to the parents whose support made it possible. We are deeply grateful for your continued support of SCALACS and the Chemistry Olympiad program.
Top 21 Students Highest Scoring Team
1st Place: Max Zhou* – San Marino High School
2nd Place: Connor Zhao* – North Hollywood High School
3rd Place: Herrick Wang* – Arcadia High School
4th Place: Keenan Park – Gretchen Whitney High School
5th Place: Fateh Aliyev* – Venice High School
5th Place: Andrew Jo* – Harvard Westlake School
6th Place: Saket Pamidipathri* – The Science Academy STEM Magnet
7th Place: Paxton Lin* – Arcadia High School
7th Place: Evan Yen – Arcadia High School
8th Place: Kevin Han* – Palos Verdes Peninsula High School
8th Place : Cooper Ren* – Harvard Westlake School
9th Place: Haoran Zhang – Arcadia High School
10th Place: Lily Wu* – Venice High School
11th Place: Kevin Wu – Arcadia High School
12th Place: Akanksha Biju – Arcadia High School
12th Place: Ryan Chen* – Saint Francis High School
12th Place: Leo Feng – San Marino High School
12th Place: Jeremy Karkafi* – San Marino High School
12th Place: Stanley Shi – Arcadia High School
12th Place: Pruthwiraj Vishwanatha – Arcadia High School
