Bilingual Public Charter School Excels in Spanish Codebreaking, Among Other Events

7th and 8th Grade students from Hoboken Dual Language Charter School (HoLa Hoboken) turned in an outstanding performance at the prestigious Brown University Science Olympiad Invitational. In a competition that drew top private and magnet schools from across the country, HoLa emerged as one of the top competitors, securing a total of 13 medals and achieving several top-three finishes.

Jen Sargent, Executive Director of HoLa Hoboken, expressed her pride in the students’ achievements, stating, “The HoLa community is so thrilled to report a successful showing in the Brown University Science Olympiad, a testament to the effectiveness of our school’s dual language program and to the ingenuity and dedication of our talented students and exceptional staff. HoLa is not only dedicated to conventional academics, but also to embracing specialized disciplines like cryptography and fostering diversity in STEM education. We are so proud of our students and proud to represent the Hoboken community.”

One of the standout victories for Team HoLa came in the Codebusters event, where students cryptanalyze and decode encrypted messages. This year’s competition featured a Spanish cipher known as the Xeoncrypt, underscoring the significance of HoLa’s bilingual education model.

HoLa’s dual language program starts in Kindergarten, allowing students to reach advanced bilingual proficiency by 8th grade. This proved to be a key factor in the Codebusters event, where fluency in Spanish was essential to breaking the code.

The Science Olympiad, founded in 1984, is the premier STEM competition in the nation, offering standards-based challenges to over 6,000 teams at 425 tournaments across all 50 states. 

Both HoLa teams received medals in Codebusters, winning 2nd and 6th in the overall competition.  The second place team, Ian Lee, Iria Viota Garcia, and Vincent Deaton remarked:  “Breaking the Spanish cipher was a challenge, but thanks to our great teachers at HoLa, we had a unique advantage. We’re so proud of our teams and how well we worked together to represent HoLa and the City of Hoboken!” The 6th place team was made up of HoLa students Jonathan Foux, Michael McNamara, and Daniela Efstathiou.

HoLa’s success in events spanning genetics, earth science, chemistry, anatomy, physics, geology, mechanical engineering, and technology further emphasizes the school’s commitment to a well-rounded education. HoLa students medaled in the following contests: