Rio Norte Junior High School has fielded a Science Olympiad team since 2003 — over two decades of students competing, building, and pushing the boundaries of science in the Santa Clarita Valley. This page documents our verified competition record and the story of how the program has grown.
20+
Years of Competition
2nd
Best Regional Finish
2
State Tournament Appearances
3
Teams Fielded in 2025–26
AVC
Home Regional Tournament
Leadership
The Coaches Behind the Program
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Mr. St. Peter
Head Coach · 2022 – Present
Mr. St. Peter took over as head coach of the Rio Norte Science Olympiad program in the 2022–2023 season. Under his leadership the program has grown from one team to three, earned back-to-back State Tournament appearances in 2023 and 2024, and recorded the school's best-ever regional finish — a runner-up placement at the 2024 AVC Regional. The program continues to grow in size and competitive depth each year.
Previous Head Coaches — 2003 to 2022
MN
Mrs. Nicholas
Head Coach · 2003 – 2007
One of the founding coaches of the program, Mrs. Nicholas led teams to remarkable results across multiple regional competitions. She coached at a previous school before Rio Norte Junior High opened in 2003. Her teams earned 1st place at the Los Angeles Regional in 2001, 3rd place at the Los Angeles Regional in 1998, 1999, and 2000, and 4th place at the Los Angeles Regional in 2005 — already at Rio Norte. Her sustained competitive success laid the foundation for the program's identity.
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Mrs. Petrovich
Head Coach · 2007 – Date TBD
A key figure in the history of Rio Norte Science Olympiad, Mrs. Petrovich guided students through years of competition. Her 2009 team achieved what was — at the time — the program's best-ever team placing with a 3rd place finish at regionals. Throughout her tenure, Rio Norte consistently produced individual event medalists, with a number of team members earning medals in their events each year.
MR
Mrs. Robb
Head Coach · Date TBD – 2022
Mrs. Robb served as head coach during the years immediately preceding the current era, helping maintain the program's presence in SoCal competition and keeping the Science Olympiad tradition alive at Rio Norte. She handed the program over to Mr. St. Peter in 2022.
✦ If you know the year Mrs. Robb took over from Mrs. Petrovich, please contact us so we can complete this record.
Verified Competition Record
Seasons Under Mr. St. Peter
2025 — 2026 Season
3 TeamsLargest Delegation
Tournament
Team
Place
Field
LA AVC Regional · Feb 14, 2026
Team 2
8th/ 23
Antelope Valley College
LA AVC Regional
Team 1
11th/ 23
Antelope Valley College
LA AVC Regional
Team 3
16th/ 23
Antelope Valley College
Rio Norte sent its largest delegation in program history — three teams competing simultaneously at the AVC Regional. With 23 teams in the field, this was also the most competitive regional the school has entered.
Both Rio Norte teams competed in a strong 18-team field. This season the teams adopted their own identities — Iron Minds and Scihawks — reflecting the growing team culture within the program.
The standout season in program history under Mr. St. Peter. Team 2's 2nd place finish at the AVC Regional was the highest placement the school has ever recorded at regionals, earning a coveted spot at the SoCal State Tournament — held at the California Institute of Technology. Competing at States against 32 of the best teams in Southern California was a milestone for the program.
Mr. St. Peter's first season as head coach produced immediate results — Team 2 placed 4th and earned a State Tournament qualification, while Team 1 finished just one spot behind in 5th. Both teams competing in the top 5 out of 17 schools was a strong foundation for the program's future growth.
Rio Norte Junior High School first fielded a Science Olympiad team in 2003, making this one of the longer-running programs in the Santa Clarita Valley. For nearly two decades, Mrs. Nicholas, Mrs. Petrovich, and Mrs. Robb coached generations of students, building the foundation that the current team stands on.
Thanks to information shared by former coaches, we can now document some of the program's proudest early moments. Mrs. Nicholas coached teams to a 1st place finish at the Los Angeles Regional in 2001 and 3rd place finishes in 1998, 1999, and 2000 — achievements earned at a previous school, as Rio Norte Junior High did not open until 2003. She then brought that winning tradition to Rio Norte, where her team placed 4th at the LA Regional in 2005. Mrs. Petrovich led the program to its then-best team placing — 3rd place at regionals in 2009 — and throughout her tenure the team consistently produced individual event medalists year after year.
If you were a student, parent, or know additional details about the program during the 2003–2022 era — including which tournaments the team attended, any other placements, or memorable moments — we'd love to hear from you so we can continue to document this history properly.
Note: Online Science Olympiad results databases (such as Duosmium) only have comprehensive SoCal records from approximately 2022 onward. Pre-2022 results on this page were provided directly by former coaches.