'When it happened, it was bedlam. They were so happy.'
Apr. 23—URBANA — In the fall of 2022, two Urbana High School freshmen approached biology teacher Jeff Birdsley with an idea: They wanted to enter the Science Olympiad. And they wanted Birdsley as their coach.
Birdsley's initial response: "What's that?' Because it wasn't a thing when I was a student."
They explained it, and Birdsely said, "No."
He had plenty on his plate already, with teaching and coaching Urbana's swim teams.
"I just didn't have time."
But within a few weeks, Birdsley stepped down from the boys' swim program, freeing up time for Science Olympiad.
Good thing.
After failing to qualify for the state finals the first year in 2023, Urbana finished 13th in '24.
That set up one of the best finishes ever by an Urbana High School team in any activity: a second-place finish on April 12. Lisle High School won the competition.
"We had a goal this year to place top five at state, thought that was realistic," Birdsley said.
"The second-place finish was unexpected. Kind of a roller-coaster. When it happened, it was bedlam. They were so happy. The camaraderie was so fantastic."
Urbana had six gold medalists in their events:
* Colin Guth and Elliot Anderson, wind power.
* Elliot Anderson and Natalie Pociask, helicopter.
* Natalie Pociask and JJ Lee, materials science.
* JJ Lee and Colin Guth, robot tour.
* Cecelia Birdsley and Sydney Goeddel, entomology.
Urbana's additional state medalists included:
* Neha Bhargava and Mia Schroeder, optics.
* Mia Schroeder and Natalie Pociask, forensics.
* Cecelia Birdsley and Sydney Goeddel, bungee drop.
The late-afternoon awards ceremony was held at historic Huff Hall.
"It's just great for the culture at Urbana High School," Birdsley said, "Many thanks to my athletic director (Steve Waller) and principal (Jesse Guzman) for supporting us through this. They obviously know the value of having extra-curriculars."
The second-place trophy will be going into the case at Urbana High School.
And the final step to No. 1 seems like a good bet in 2026. Most of the team returns, including the core group of 11 freshmen who got the ball rolling back in '22.
"I tell the kids, 'You absolutely have a chance to win a state championship next year,'" Birdsley said.
Urbana competes in Division IA. Schools are seeded. Among the schools in Urbana's division were Palatine, Barrington, Urbana University High, Champaign Central and Centennial.
Uni High finished fourth, and St. Thomas More finished in eighth place.
"That marks the first time Urbana has ever come out ahead of Uni in the Science Olympiad," Birdsley said. "The kids were just as proud of that as the second-place finish."
The stage
The Science Olympiad is an annual state competition held on the University of Illinois campus. Teams of 15 students compete in 23 events.
Every branch of science and engineering is represented: creating towers, bridges, helicopters, planes and ping-pong cannons on the building side. Most of the events are test-taking in various science disciplines.
Fans and coaches were allowed to watch the building events. But the tests are students-only.
To reach state, schools advance from a local competition. Urbana was at Parkland College this year, where it finished second and earned a spot in the state finals.
Uni High won the local competition.
It is a lot of work for the students. Nights and weekends.
"Many, many, many hours of studying and preparing," Birdsley said. "They go home and make themselves experts on insects or build the best ping-pong air cannon that they could possibly build."
The Urbana team had meetings before and after school, talking about goals.
Looking ahead, the team will reconvene in September. A list of events for the 2026 Olympiad will be announced and the Tigers will start preparation.
"I try to get kids into something they are going to get passionate about," Birdsley said.
Background check
Urbana had a Science Olympiad program in the 1990s and early 2000s. There are several regional trophies at the high school, but no state trophies. Until now.
The school celebrated the accomplishments, with daily announcements the following week. Birdsley carried the trophy around the school.
Birdsley has been a teacher at Urbana High School since 2020.
He and his wife, Becky Fuller, who is on the UI faculty, have lived in Urbana for 20 years.
Their son Sam is an Urbana High School graduate. Their daughter Cecelia has been a member of Science Olympiad from the start and is also an Urbana swimmer.
This year, fellow Urbana High School biology teacher Alex Riley, a UI graduate, joined the team as a co-coach. His first year at the school was in 2023.
"This was Alex's year to learn how Science Olympiad works and how to coach it," Birdsley said. "I'm still learning how to coach it."
Birdsley and Riley welcome any student interested in participating.
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