North Pole Science Olympiad team competes in national tournament

Cherissa Dukelow

Ten middle school students wearing award medals pose with their two adult team coaches and the UAF Nook mascot outside in bright sun with a clear blue sky on the UAF campus. There is snow on the ground. In the background, there is the UAF Rasmuson library and engineering buildings, and the ice arch.
UAF photo by Leif Van Cise
The DPC Dinos team from Discovery Peak Charter School gathers at the University of ÐßÐßÊÓƵFairbanks after winning first place in the 2025 ÐßÐßÊÓƵScience Olympiad.

A team of middle school students from Discovery Peak Charter School in North Pole will compete in the Science Olympiad National Tournament at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln May 23-24.

The DPC Dinos team won first place in the 2025 ÐßÐßÊÓƵScience Olympiad, which took place in March at the University of ÐßÐßÊÓƵFairbanks. 

This will be the second time that Discovery Peak Charter School students have traveled to compete in the Science Olympiad National Tournament. The school’s team won first place in the 2023 ÐßÐßÊÓƵScience Olympiad and competed nationally at Wichita State University in Kansas.

In Lincoln, Nebraska, the Discovery Peak team will join 120 other Science Olympiad teams from around the U.S., as well as a Global Ambassador Team from Tokyo, Japan.

Science Olympiad teams compete at the state level annually, and the first-place winning teams from each state advance to compete with other state champions at the national level.

Two state-level Science Olympiad events are held in ÐßÐßÊÓƵeach spring. 

Middle school teams compete in the ÐßÐßÊÓƵScience Olympiad Division B. The competition is held at UAF and organized by the ÐßÐßÊÓƵEstablished Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, the College of Engineering and Mines and the College of Natural Science and Mathematics. 

For the first time this year, high school teams competed in the ÐßÐßÊÓƵScience Olympiad Division C at the University of ÐßÐßÊÓƵAnchorage. That competition was organized by the UAA College of Engineering, with support from the College of Health and the College of Arts and Sciences.

of the 41st annual 2025 Science Olympiad National Tournament opening and awards ceremonies will be available on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln website. The opening ceremony will take place Friday, 6:30-8 p.m. (3:30-5 p.m. in Alaska). The awards ceremony will be held Saturday, 7:30-9:30 p.m. (4:30-6:30 p.m. in Alaska).

The ÐßÐßÊÓƵScience Olympiad Division B is supported by individual donors and sponsors, including ConocoPhillips, ÐßÐßÊÓƵ529, ÐßÐßÊÓƵBlue Economy Center, ÐßÐßÊÓƵIDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence, UAF professor Brian Rasley, the UAF College of Engineering and Mines, UAF Residence Life, and the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council.

Visit the ÐßÐßÊÓƵScience Olympiad website and Science Olympiad National Tournament to learn more.

ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Tara Borland, taborland@alaska.edu; Courtney Breest, cfbreest@alaska.edu