St. Margaret’s Students Earn Top Honors at Orange County First-Year Chemistry Competition

St. Margaret’s demonstrated strong performance and academic skill at the First Year Chemistry Competition held last weekend at Cal State Fullerton, competing against 207 students from across Orange County in a rigorous regional science contest.

Representing St. Margaret’s were George Arzente ’29, Dorothy Chen ’29, Colt Ettwein ’28, Anna Farias ’28, Teddy Heyming ’29, Maddux Labovitch ’28, Blake Mashour ’29, and Catherine Wang ’28. The group took on a challenging individual exam designed to test foundational knowledge in first-year chemistry, with team rankings determined by combining the top five scores from each school.

St. Margaret’s top five scorers—George Arzente, Maddux Labovitch, Blake Mashour, Dorothy Chen, and Catherine Wang—earned a cumulative score that placed St. Margaret’s sixth overall in the competition standings, a strong finish in a highly competitive field.

Individually, George Arzente delivered an exceptional performance, earning the second-highest score among all participants in the event.

The team’s success adds to an already notable year for St. Margaret’s science program. The top five performers from the Chemistry Competition, along with the school’s USNCO team—which secured first place earlier in February—will be recognized at the Orange County ACS High School Award Banquet on May 19.

The results display the strength and depth of St. Margaret’s chemistry students, who continue to make a mark in regional academic competitions.