Jeffrey Trail Middle School earns honors at Southern California State Science Olympiad

Irvine’s newest campus is already racking up the honors. Just before the spring recess, we learned that a team of 15 students from Jeffrey Trail Middle School picked up a trophy at the 2014 Southern California State Science Olympiad, placing fifth among middle schools. That's an impressive feat for a school that opened just eight months earlier, especially given the highly competitive nature of the event. Science Olympiad tournaments have been likened to academic track meets, comprising 23 individual and team events covering such disciplines as biology, Earth science, chemistry, physics and technology. The Southern California State Science Olympiad, which was held April 5 at Canyon High School in Anaheim, featured more than 60 middle and high school teams, including a handful from IUSD. Jeffrey Trail’s team was coached by Kathy Marvin, who earned California Teacher of the Year honors in 2010, and Todd Munoz, who was named Jeffrey Trail's Teacher of the Year for 2014. “We are incredibly proud of our team of future scientists," Marvin told the NewsFlash. "They have worked tirelessly since September, and they are beyond proud to bring Jeffrey Trail a first-place trophy in Orange County and fifth-place in the state of California." Irvine's Sierra Vista Middle School also performed well, ranking 11th in the middle school division. At the high school level, Northwood High placed eighth, University High was tenth, Irvine High came in at No. 18 and Woodbridge High rounded out the field at No. 21. To access the complete results, click here.