Every Wednesday during ReFLECT, students gather in Room 224 to prepare for one of the most challenging high school science competitions in the country. The USABO Club prepares members for the United States of America Biology Olympiad while also offering pathways into other science competitions and activities. The club follows a structured schedule designed to support students at different levels of experience. 

While the USABO competition is a central focus of the club, senior co-captain Josiah Chan emphasized that members’ interest in the topics drives the club’s purpose. He explained that USABO is designed to introduce students to biology’s scope. “I think the biggest thing about USABO is to help students grow curiosity in biology and dip their toes into all the different fields of it,” Chan said. 

The club covers a wide range of biological topics, which helps students explore what excites them academically. “USABO gives them an introduction to all these different aspects to see whether they would be interested in pursuing these topics in their future careers,” Chan said. 

Many members often carry the knowledge and confidence gained from USABO into other experiences and academic pursuits. “All the knowledge I’ve learned from our captains about health has come up in my real-world interpretation of health news,” said junior John Stepnowski.

Senior co-captain Grant Wood highlighted how the club’s weekly structure supports that exploration. “We hold weekly presentations on biology topics that show up on the USABO exam, play Kahoot! with real questions from the test in past years, and share plenty of resources for group study sessions,” Wood said. This structure helps students engage with the challenging material while still building on their confidence and biological thinking.

This year, the club is trying something new: collaborative learning. Instead of an individual student working through practice problems alone, members now tackle challenging material together, comparing material and explaining concepts to one another. Members said the change has already begun to shift how they approach hard topics. “When I’m around my USABO group, it’s a lot easier to approach them when we’re such a team,” Stepnowski said.

Preparation is not limited to the USABO competition alone. The club actively participates in events such as the Brain Bee, a neuroscience competition that begins with a computerized exam and advances to an in-person, quiz-style round at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Over the years, Mounds View students have seen notable success. “[We had] 12 qualifiers for the Brain Bee state finals last year. In a pool of 30 finalists, 60% were from our program,” said Wood.

As the season continues, club leaders hope the new collaborative approach will increase both participation and performance. The captains hope more students will try USABO and stick with biology beyond high school. Wood recalled how the team went on a private tour of neuroscience Ph.D. research labs at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. “It was extraordinarily meaningful to see students’ eyes light up as they learned about and saw the tools used to do neurological research on addictions,” Wood said.

In addition to providing test preparation, USABO encourages students to refine their study habits and academic independence. The club’s largely asynchronous and self-driven nature forces members to experiment and discover study methods that work for them. “This encourages students to find ways to learn how to study,” Chan said. He added that participating in USABO helps students discover the most effective way for them to learn how to get involved in such a large field. That habit formation and growth benefit students beyond high school into their future academic paths.