The Northern California Middle School Science Bowl Regional Championship took place Saturday at Las Positas College. Why do I know this? Bryn and I experienced the drama and excitement up close and personal as event volunteers.
The Science Bowl pits 4-member teams against each other and tests their knowledge of science and math. Following a round-robin format, the morning rounds quickly separated the brainiac heavyweights from the also-rans, like a centrifuge separates the precipitate. (?)
After a hearty pizza lunch, and a hard-fought three-way-tiebreaker round moderated by Bryn, the top two teams from each pool entered a March Madness style elimination bracket. In the end, it came down to two powerhouse teams, both with National title experience under their belts. But the tenacious buzzer-fingers of upstart Hopkins were too much for defending champ Challenger, and Hopkins took the crown and earned their ticket to the National competition in Washington DC.
I was impressed with how much science these kids knew, and how fast they were with mental math. On top of that, they had to work together as a team, speak clearly in front of a big group, and make high-stakes decisions in a matter of seconds.
We learned that the most successful teams held tryouts, had been training together for months, and that each kid had an assigned subject-specialty. And while they’re playing with their brains instead of their bodies, the Science Bowl is treated no different from any sports team. To them, it is a sport. These kids aren’t going to be slamming homeruns, catching touchdown passes, or hitting fadeaway jumpers, but they’re going to be the next generation of engineers driving technological innovation in America. And in the long run, isn’t that going to be more important?
To learn more about math and science tutoring, please visit IntelliTutoring.com.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Tags: california, inspiration, success
[...] don my blue shirt and name badge with pride, and help educate Seattle’s youth in the ways of science. I worked the tide pool, the virtual reality basketball, and Bubblefest, all in exchange for one [...]