Maui’s St. Anthony School Team Earns State Title in Nationwide Chemistry Competition

A team of middle school students from St. Anthony School was named the Hawaiʻi winner in the You Be The Chemist Challenge®. The Challenge is a competition hosted by the Chemical Educational Foundation in which teams of students from grades 5 to 8, explore chemistry concepts and the role of those concepts in their community.

The competition was held virtually this year due to COVID-19. Teams answered timed questions and submitted a video on sustainability, scientific phenomena, and ways that problems faced by people in their community can be solved using their knowledge of chemistry and science.

Ten-thousand students from 266 schools competed in the Challenge this year. Teams advancing to the National Challenge will be announced in May.

“Keeping students engaged in science is critical to continuing their interest in the subject. The Challenge provided an opportunity for students to continue learning about chemistry collaboratively, even with remote learning in place in many states,” said CEF Executive Director Dwayne Sattler. “We are so proud of our students, teachers, and volunteers for adapting to a virtual environment under difficult circumstances this year, and we are excited to continue to highlight the hard work of our Challenge participants.”

CEF is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to building the excitement and value of chemistry and STEM-related careers with K-8 students through accessible science programs. You Be The Chemist® programs are designed to inspire students, engage educators, and strengthen communities to build a better world through the science of chemistry.