Venice High School students will be participating on this year’s Chemistry Olympiad on March 22 and 23. For AP and Honors Chemistry students, it is a great practice test before the AP tests. Students who do well will then take a national test and prepare themselves to compete internationally at a study camp with other students from all over the United States.

The U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO), has the purpose to stimulate young people to achieve excellence in chemistry. The American Chemical Society (ACS) has sponsored the program since 1984, according to the American Chemical Society’s website

The local exam, organized by science teacher Barry Vella, is a two-hour multiple-choice test, designated to test the students’ knowledge of a wide variety of topics in chemistry. Students who would like to review previous years’ exams and practice may do so through the ACS website. The top 16 scorers on the local exam will be nominated to compete in the national exam, which will be held April 22.

The top 20 national scorers will go to an all-expenses-paid, two-week study camp that will be held in Colorado Springs, Colorado. At this camp, four finalists will be selected from the U.S. Team to represent the United States in the 49^th International Chemistry Olympiad (ICHO), which will be held in Thailand on July 6-15. Several students in Mr. Vella’s classes will be taking the test.