Solon High School

Background
Solon High School, located in Ohio, is one of the most successful teams in the nation. They have placed consistently at the regional, state, and national level. Their team website can be accessed here.

They first won the national tournament in 1998 with 675 points (the old scoring system was implemented at the time) at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, beating out Ft. Collins High School (651 pts) and Troy High School (649 pts) that year.

In 2011, along with Solon Middle School, they were able to win the national tournament for the second time at University of Wisconsin. With a score of 197 points, they edged out Centerville High School (203 pts) and West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South (235 pts). This is the first time since 1990 that a single school district won both Division B & C of the National Tournament. For their successes in 2011, the high school received a proclamation from the mayor, and a state resolution from the Ohio House of Representatives.

They also placed 2nd in both 2003 at Ohio State University and 2008 at George Washington University. Solon High School has placed in the top 10 at the national tournament 14 times in their history.

Often, many students from Solon Middle School participate in the SO program at Solon High School. The middle school and high school teams interact on a consistent basis, maintaining close relations and supporting each other in terms of resources and motivation.

The high school team, unlike the middle school team, does not cut its students initially. However, they do have event tryouts in order to determine which students are strong in the events; these tryouts primarily influence who gets to go to the first invitational competitions. Most years, the Solon SO program has around 30-50 students participating. Solon usually takes two teams to Regionals and most invitational competitions. Eventually, that number is cut to 15 competitors plus around 4-6 alternates, as only one team from a school can be taken to states.

The high school team maintains a friendly relationship with Centerville High School, Liberal Arts and Science Academy, Harriton High School, and Penncrest High School.

Common Misconceptions

 * Solon High School does NOT have a class for Science Olympiad.
 * The team only conducts one meeting a week; there are no set planned periods. Most of the work done is independent.
 * During the invitational season, Solon does NOT have a 1st or 2nd team; Solon does not stack its teams during the invitational season.
 * There is at most two parent coaches throughout the course of the season.
 * It is unusual for Solon to carry more than 4 alternates on a team.

Solon Invitational
The Solon Science Olympiad Invitational, which occurs every every first Saturday of the month of February, attracts many teams. In 2012, 57 teams will be participating in this tournament. The invitational offers all 23 events and usually has 1-2 trial events. Each event is run by one school, which writes the test or sets up the mechanical rubrics, and 1-2 schools assisting in that event. The first events start typically around 9:30 and end at roughly 2:30, with 10 minutes in between each event. Often times, in the auditorium, video games are set up to pass the time. The awards start anywhere from 3:00 to 4:30, and large medals are given for 1st through 3rd place, while small medals are given for 4th through 6th place. This year, two Ohio state supervisors (Fermi Questions & Sounds of Music) will be running events at the Solon Invitational. Solon competitors do not claim medals or trophies at this competition.

Part of Solon High School's success is due to the many invitationals it participates in. Solon has been able to attract many powerhouse schools, including: (highest placing at nationals in parentheses)
 * Harriton High School, PA (1st)
 * Mentor High School, OH (5th)
 * Liberal Arts and Sciences Academy, TX (7th)
 * Northmont High School, OH (19th)

Some consider the competition at Solon Invitational as one of the most difficult invitational tournaments in the nation.

Results History
Solon has been a perennial contender for the Nationals title. Since 1995, Solon has qualified for nationals 14 out of 16 times. Solon also has four state titles as well. Here are the results since 1992:

1: State Record for lowest points ever in the state of Ohio. 2: The Towers event was considered a Trial Event at the State Tournament.

Invitational Results:

National-Level Teams Faced in the Invitational Season Note: Best placing at nationals in parentheses.
 * Centerville High School, OH (1st)
 * Mentor High School, OH (5th)
 * Northmont High School, OH (19th)


 * New Trier High School, IL (6th)
 * Adlai E. Stevenson High School, IL (11th)
 * Bloomington South High School, IN (9th)
 * Northridge High School, IN (21st)
 * DuPont Manual High School, KY (21st)
 * Merrimack High School, NH (38th)
 * Fayetteville-Manlius High School, NY (1st)
 * Spackenkill High School, NY (14th)
 * Harriton High School, PA (1st)
 * Liberal Arts and Sciences Academy, TX (7th)
 * Fairfax High School, VA (43rd)