St. Margaret's Students Excel at Washington University Chemistry Tournament

Twelve Upper School students competed at the 9th annual Washington University Chemistry Tournament (WUCT), where they faced off against 168 high school students from across the nation in a rigorous day-long competition. Hosted at Washington University in St. Louis, the event attracted teams from 15 states for a full-day chemistry marathon.

The competition, known for its intensity and academic rigor, consisted of four demanding events. There were students grouped in teams, each consisting of six students, competing in one of two divisions—Arrhenius and Avogadro—based on their coursework and prior science competition experience. The tournament featured four challenging events: an individual exam, a “Three Topics” exam (where students worked in pairs), a team exam requiring full-team collaboration, and “Breaking Bonds,” a fast-paced chemistry Jeopardy-style round with 21 packets to solve.

St. Margaret's students were divided into two teams: Team Arrhenius and Team Avogadro. The students displayed remarkable skill and teamwork, securing impressive results in a variety of events. 

Team Arrhenius—composed of Katie Meggers (‘25), Andrew Rusli (‘25), Robin Wang (‘26), Riley Bredall (‘27), Luke Meggers (‘27), and Amy Yao (‘27). Andrew Rusli and Robin Wang placed 5th in the “Chemistry of Wacky Elements” topic exam.

Team Avogadro—featuring Val Karmis (‘27), Jack Kleinhanzl (‘27), Cyrus Sadati (‘27), Martin Kovachev (‘28), Sophia Sun (‘28), and Jessica Zhang (‘28). The team earned 3rd place in the team exam. In addition, the pairs of Val Karmis and Martin Kovachev, and Jack Kleinhanzl and Cyrus Sadati both took 2nd place in their respective topic exams: “Chemistry of Illumination” and “Chemistry of Wacky Elements.” 

The students were guided and coached by Upper School science teacher Andrea Chou.

Congratulations to all the participants!