Stevenson student designs Science Olympiad T-shirt

As Stevenson High School's Science Olympiad team represents the school at the state competition, team member Jia Guo already can feel like a winner.

Her victory will show on every competitor there.

The 16-year-old Stevenson sophomore created the winning T-shirt design for this year's Illinois Science Olympiad state championships.

Her design will adorn the T-shirt available to all participants at the event, which will be April 26 at the University of Illinois.

"The team was happy to learn that Jia's design had won," coach Amerigo Carnazzola said. "Now, Jia's design will be on this year's state T-shirt which we will most likely be wearing on the trip home from state," he said.

Science Olympiad consists of 23 events revolving around science and engineering. Students may study topics and take tests or build airplanes, robots, electric vehicles or musical instruments.

Guo said she joined the Science Olympiad team her freshman year to fuel her love of science. Her parents, she added, are science professors. But when she learned earlier this year about the T-shirt contest, she said that touched on another love, art design.

"It makes my love of both science and art come together," said Guo, who lives in Lincolnshire.

Using ribbons to show movement, Guo then encompassed through the ribbon elements that represent the competitions such as music notes, rockets and DNA particles. The center of the design features the competition's name within the state of Illinois.

Carnazzola said when Guo told him she submitted a design to the contest and later that she was a finalist, he shared the news with the team. He encouraged the team to go online and vote.

Stevenson's team, made up of 30 students, has worked together all year to reach the state competition.

The team edged out Crystal Lake Central High School March 8 for first place at the regional competition at College of Lake County to qualify for the state finals.

This will mark the fourth consecutive state finals appearance for Stevenson.

Carnazzola said this has been a rebuilding year for the team as all their founding members graduated last year.

"We weren't really sure how well we'd do this year. We are just happy to be able to go to state again," he said.

Guo said she was shocked when she learned her design was chosen the winner, receiving 27.9 percent of votes made on the Illinois Science Olympiad Web site.

"There were some really awesome designs. Voting was really close," she said.

Following her first design honor, Guo said she hopes to venture into some other artwork at the school. Next year, she hopes to submit and see her work accepted into the school's literary and art magazine, "The Wit."