High School STL terminal students from La Découverte High School in Decazeville excelled at the Biology Olympiads. The STL terminal students from La Découverte High School in Decazeville recently participated in the 2026 edition of the Academic Biology Olympiads at the Natural History Museum in Toulouse. The theme of this 6th edition was: “Biology in all its states and all its epochs!”, a broad program. In this context, the Decazeville high school students chose to explore a forward-looking issue: “Can spirulina be the superfood of the future?” – Second place at the regional level: For several months, the students conducted a real scientific research project. Their project notably relied on a visit to the Radiant Farm in Lacapelle-Livron, which allowed them to discover the production conditions of this microalgae with numerous nutritional qualities. “Back in the laboratory, they developed and implemented their own experimental protocol: monitoring the growth of their spirulina culture, biochemical analyses with iron and protein measurements. This scientific work was accompanied by an effort of popularization with the making of a video intended for the competition jury,” said Morgane Coppey, a teacher at La Découverte High School. Among 23 participating groups from the entire region, including many students from the general stream, the Decazeville students achieved a remarkable second place. Beyond the performance, this participation was a very formative experience. The students were able to develop their autonomy, scientific rigor, communication skills, while preparing for the oral exam for the baccalaureate. This great result also highlights the quality of the STL technological training at La Découverte High School, which allows students to carry out concrete experimental projects and fully engage in the scientific process.
