Celebrating Student Achievements: Academic, Artistic & Athletic

One of the questions I hear most often is, “How do Nysmith students accomplish so many high level accolades considering that our middle school is less than 200 children?” I believe much of the answer can be found in our culture.

At Nysmith, we combine high levels of optimism, encouragement, and a genuine joy of learning. Our students are challenged, but they are also known, supported, and given the freedom to explore what excites them. That balance helps children approach new opportunities with confidence rather than fear. It is an essential part of the Nysmith difference and the supportive social and emotional environment our teachers work so carefully to create.

It is easy to see the connection between our strong science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs and our students’ achievements in those fields. What is especially exciting, however, is the extraordinary breadth of student interests. Nysmith students distinguish themselves in robotics, mathematics, science, literature, history, geography, debate, cybersecurity, classical studies, music, creative problem solving, entrepreneurship, programming, chess, foreign languages, athletics, and community service.

The following highlights represent just some of the accomplishments celebrated by our students and teams during the past year. Student names have been omitted so that the focus remains on the breadth of participation and achievement throughout the Nysmith community.

Robotics, Engineering, and Technology

• Multiple VEX IQ teams earned Excellence Awards at local and regional tournaments.
• Nysmith teams received Teamwork Champion and Robot Skills Champion awards.
• Robotics teams earned Design, Innovate, Think, Create, Judges, and Amaze awards.
• One team won first place in both Skills and Teamwork at a VEX IQ competition.
• Several teams qualified for the Virginia VEX IQ Robotics State Championship.
•  Three Nysmith teams qualified for the 2026 VEX Robotics World Championship. 
•  A Nysmith team earned the Design Award, the highest judged award in its 82 team division at VEX Worlds. 
• A First LEGO League team earned third place for innovation at an international championship in Sydney featuring nearly 60 teams from 22 countries.
• A First LEGO League team won the First Place Champions Award at a regional qualifying tournament and advanced to the state tournament.
• Nysmith’s new CyberPatriot program earned fourth and tenth place finishes in Virginia during its first competition.
• A CyberPatriot team later earned first place in Virginia and twelfth place nationally.
• Five students advanced to the American Computer Science League Finals.
• A sixth grade student passed the professional level Certified Entry Level Python Programmer examination.
  

Mathematics

• The Nysmith MATHCOUNTS team placed second in the Fairfax Chapter competition.
• All four MATHCOUNTS team members ranked among the top ten individual competitors in the chapter.
• The MATHCOUNTS team advanced to the Virginia State Competition and placed fifth.
• A student advanced to the state MATHCOUNTS Countdown Round and finished among the top eight competitors.
• Nysmith placed fifth overall at the Montgomery Blair Math Tournament.
• A sixth grade student received the tournament’s Young Scholar Award.
• Students earned individual and subject medals at the Montgomery Blair Math Tournament.
• The elementary MathLeague team successfully defended its title as Virginia State Champion.
• Seven students qualified for the MathLeague National Championship in Houston.
• Students earned first, second, and third place honors at regional MathLeague competitions.
• A third grade student placed second at the MathLeague National Championship.
• Students earned national and state rankings in Math Kangaroo, including first and second place national finishes.
• Two Nysmith teams earned silver medals in the Math Kangaroo Team Competition.
• Elementary Math Olympiad students earned two Dr. George Lenchner Medallions for finishing in the top 2 percent.
• Four additional elementary students scored in the top 10 percent in Math Olympiad.
• The elementary Math Olympiad team received the Highest Team Achievement Award.
• A middle school student earned the Dr. George Lenchner Medallion for the second consecutive year.
• Students earned National Honor Roll recognition and perfect scores in the Noetic Math Contest.
• A student received AMC 8 Honor Roll recognition and a Certificate of Achievement.
• A student earned first place in the prealgebra individual round at the Thomas Jefferson Intermediate Math Open.
• A student received the Gold Division Award in the international All Girls Math Online Tournament.
• A Nysmith team placed eighth at the PRISMS PRIME Math Tournament, with one student placing second among more than 100 competitors.
• Students earned additional honors in the Korean American Scientists and Engineers Association National Mathematics Competition, the International Math Competition, and the Mid Atlantic Math Tournament Series.

Science and Research

• A student earned third place at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Science Fair for a project exploring quantum computing.
• A student earned third place in physical science and engineering for research involving electricity and magnetism.
• A student received the Lemelson Foundation Early Inventor Prize.
• A student earned the Best Display Board Award at the Greater Northern Virginia Science and Engineering Fair.
• A coded medicine dispenser project received the WOW! Factor Award.
• A life and earth sciences project earned third place overall and a nomination for the Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge.
• A carbon capture project earned first place in its life and earth sciences division.
• Science Olympiad students placed fifth in the Scrambler Engineering event and Anatomy and Physiology.
• Students earned medals and qualified for the National and International Science Bee competitions.
• A student qualified for the National Science Bee National Championships.

Literature, Language, and Classical Studies

• The Nysmith Kids Literature Quiz team represented the United States and placed third in the world.
  • The following Kids Literature Quiz team won first place regionally and third place nationally.
• Nysmith’s fourth grade WordMasters team earned first place in the nation twice.
  • The team scored 199 out of a possible 200 points in a WordMasters competition involving approximately 125,000 students.
  • Nine fourth grade students earned perfect WordMasters scores, a distinction achieved by only 13 fourth graders nationally.
• A Nysmith Certamen team won first place at the Virginia Senior Classical League Kickoff Certamen.
• Two Certamen teams earned third place at the NJCL Certamen Autumnale.
• A Certamen team won the Novice Open title at the Hayfield Certamen.
• Another Certamen team won all three of its preliminary rounds.
• A team earned second place in the Novice Competitive division.
• Nysmith’s Novice Open team placed second at the Virginia Senior Classical League State Finals.
• A student earned a gold medal on the National Roman Civilization Exam.
• A student earned a silver medal on the National Classical Etymology Exam.
• A student passed the DELE Spanish examination at the A2 proficiency level.

Debate, Public Speaking, and Forensics

• A Nysmith debate team advanced to the octofinal round of the Harvard Middle School Public Forum Tournament, competing against more than 200 teams.
• Students advanced to the octofinal round of the Middle School Tournament of Champions.
• A student earned first place in Public Forum Speaker Awards at the Regent Legacy Spring Invitational.
• A debate partnership placed sixth among 82 teams from 12 schools while winning all four preliminary rounds.
• Students earned Merit, Honor, and Excellence degrees from the National Speech & Debate Association.
• Two students advanced to the quarterfinal round of the USA Forensics Olympiad Global Winter Classic.
• Nysmith students earned first and second place Speaker Awards at the Global Winter Classic.
• Students advanced to the quarterfinal round of the USA Forensics Olympiad Championship.
• A student placed second in a national debate competition focused on presidential executive orders.

History, Geography, and Quiz Bowl

• Students earned medals in regional Geography Bee and History Bee competitions.
• Multiple students qualified for national and international history and geography competitions.
• A student earned a team gold medal at the International History Olympiad in Paris.
• Nysmith students earned a bronze medal in the International History Olympiad Scramble Competition and fifth place in Film History.
• A Quiz Bowl team finished fourth at the QB4All Gemini Invitational and qualified for the NAQT National Tournament.
• An elementary Quiz Bowl team went undefeated, won its division, and qualified for the national championship.
  • Nine students received individual Quiz Bowl awards.
• A combined elementary and middle school Quiz Bowl team qualified for the Middle School National Championship Tournament in Chicago.
• Twelve students successfully participated in their first Quiz Bowl tournament.

Creative Problem Solving and Entrepreneurship

• Nysmith’s Odyssey of the Mind team won first place in its regional division.
  • The team received the rare Ranatra Fusca Award for exceptional creativity, one of only three teams recognized among 159 competitors.
• The Odyssey of the Mind team placed third at the Virginia State Tournament.
  • Students designed an eight inch structure made from only 18 grams of balsa wood that supported 672 pounds.
• Two students advanced to the semifinals of the Mott Million Dollar Challenge.
  • Each semifinalist earned a $5,000 award and an opportunity to compete for national recognition.
  • Other students were selected as first round winners in the social and business divisions of the Mott Million Dollar Challenge.

Music and the Arts

• Every Nysmith performing ensemble earned first place at the Music in the Parks Festival.
• A student received an individual award for excellence as an accompanist.
• Nysmith received the festival’s Esprit de Corps Award for exceptional conduct and enthusiasm.
• A student placed third in an international concerto competition.
• A student was selected to perform in the Honors Piano Recital at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Camp.
• A student received the Virginia State Certificate of Excellence in piano.
• A student passed a University of West London piano examination with Distinction.
• Students earned Honors and Superior ratings at judged recitals and music competitions.
• Students earned first, second, and third place awards in piano solo, concerto, sonata, and performance competitions.
• A student was selected as one of only 12 statewide winners from more than 5,000 contestants in a Virginia music scholarship competition.
• Students were invited to perform in honors recitals at George Mason University and the Harris Theatre.
• A student performed a Mendelssohn piano concerto at Carnegie Hall.

Additional Student Accomplishments

• A student won the kindergarten through eighth grade intermediate division at a chess championship with a perfect score.
• Students received recognition for community service and volunteerism.
• Nysmith students continued to participate in school and community athletics, developing teamwork, discipline, resilience, and healthy habits.
• Students pursued accomplishments outside school while continuing to meet the expectations of an advanced academic program.

Beyond the Awards 

The number of accomplishments is impressive, but the purpose of competition is not simply to win. Competitions should nurture a child’s interests, provide opportunities to share those interests with others, and inspire continued growth. When winning becomes the only acceptable outcome, an activity that once brought joy can quickly become a source of anxiety. Pressure can strain friendships, diminish creativity, and leave children reluctant to participate again.

There is certainly a place in life for high stakes competition. However, the outcome of a middle school debate tournament, robotics event, or academic contest will rarely determine a child’s future. How students conduct themselves, treat their teammates and competitors, and respond to judges and volunteers can have a far more lasting impact. We work closely with students and parents to maintain that perspective and to ensure that our community represents Nysmith with kindness, gratitude, and respect.

At Nysmith, we would rather see students place lower and enjoy the experience than place higher while feeling overwhelmed by pressure. Interestingly, that nurturing approach is also one of the reasons our students perform so well. When children feel supported and excited, they think more freely, take thoughtful risks, persevere through challenges, and remain eager to learn. This philosophy can be seen throughout Nysmith’s academic programs and student life and enrichment opportunities.

The annual list of achievements is extraordinary, but the list is not what excites me most. What matters most is seeing children discover something they love, work alongside their friends, stretch beyond what they thought was possible, and finish an experience eager to try again. The awards are wonderful, but the curiosity, confidence, character, and joyful participation behind them are the achievements we celebrate most.