Pembroke Hill High School

Background
Pembroke Hill, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is one of the oldest teams in the nation. They have placed consistently at the regional, state, and national level, advancing to the national competition 20 times as of 2011, which means that only three teams have had more national trips. Pembroke usually does very well at nationals, scoring as high as third in 1996.

Part of Pembroke Hill’s success is due to the many invitationals it participates in. They typically attend two or three a year.

Often, many students from Pembroke Hill Middle School participate in the SO program at Pembroke Hill 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. However, a large portion of the team is composed of students new to Pembroke.

The team does not cut its students. Coaches primarily use the invitationals’ results, along with additional tryouts, to determine which students are strong in the events. The Pembroke SO program typically has around 20-25 students participating. Eventually, that number decreases until 15 competitors and around five alternates remain.

The team is coached by Connie Wells, who has coached teams at 22 of the 27 national competitions, making her the most experienced coach in the nation.

Contrary to popular belief, Pembroke Hill High School does NOT have a class for Science Olympiad.