The Arcadia High School (AHS) Science Bowl (SB) team won 3rd place at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory High School Regional Science Bowl on Mar. 1.
The National Science Bowl is a nationwide buzzer-based competition in which teams of four members plus an alternate member compete to answer questions in six categories: physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, earth and space science, and energy. Competitors race to be the first to press the buzzer button to answer questions. AHS SB’s competing team was coached by advisor Cheryl Mynster and consisted of senior Avani Athavale (team captain), senior Max Kim, junior Kevin Wu, senior Herrick Wang, and freshman Ethan Wang.
The team performed extremely well in the round robins, which were when the teams were randomly placed into divisions to compete against each other. They won all the round robins and advanced to the double elimination rounds.
Team Captain Athavale mentioned that their slogan was “buzz fast, not last!” because SB prioritizes effort and passion and to always support one another to do their best. Their slogan served as a token of motivation at the competition, reminding them to enjoy both the academic and playful aspects of SB.
To prepare for the contest, the team held weekly meetings after school on Fridays from 3:00-4:30 p.m., and on Sundays from 2:00-3:30 p.m.
The team lost in the double-elimination rounds against University High School and Troy High School, but they were proud of their overall team effort and performance throughout the competition.
Advisor Mrs. Mynster shared, “I’m very glad with our team’s sportsmanship and great performance. I look forward to seeing them improve even more!”
Senior Max Kim said, “The experience was pretty fun. Science Bowl is a unique contest because you can focus on the subject you like and trust your team to cover other ones. It’s all STEM, but it’s a game I would recommend.”
Photo Courtesy of AHS SCIENCE BOWL TEAM
