Ocean Science Teams Reel in Wins at Scallop Bowl
The Ocean Science Team practices answering questions with buzzers in preparation for Feb 1’s Bay Scallop Bowl. Photo Credit: Ilana Kolomiyets
By ILANA KOLOMIYETS
The Ocean Science A Team took second place and the B team won third place at the Bay Scallop Bowl February 1st at Stony Brook University.
Each team, consisting of three members and a captain, had to answer “Jeopardy”-style questions on marine biology, marine chemistry, physics oceanography, marine policy, and maritime history.
“Ocean Science gives students a chance to further challenge themselves,” said the teams’ coach, Ms. Kimberley Lau. “It gives them a chance to get their names out there.”
Each year, 25 regional competitions are held across the nation, and the winners get to compete in the National Ocean Science Bowl in Gulfport, Mississippi in April. The top teams in the nationals will be rewarded with trips to various exuberant locations.
“The team is like a family, and it’s so much fun to compete with these people because we have so much respect for each other,” said Alyssa Kattan ’20, the captain of the A team. “Everyone is so smart.”
Midwood’s A and B teams have been practicing three times a week for the past couple of months. During practice, one person draws and reads questions from a box and the teams use buzzers to practice answering questions.
The teams went into the Bay Scallop Bowl with a bit of nervousness. Last year, the A team came in third place at regionals.
“I think we’re ready, but the questions are random and it’s anybody’s game,” said Alex Ihnatenko ’20 (A team) before the tournament. “There’s luck, reaction, speed, and in some games, you might get names that you don’t know the answer to.”
Jennifer Yakubov ’20 of the B team said, “I think it’s a nerve-wrecking situation, but it feels good to see all our hard work come together and pay off. It’s a way not only to compete but also to be a family and community.”
Apart from competitions outside of school, Ms. Lau teaches three college courses worth of material in her ocean science class. Her class requires a lot of studying because her lesson plans cover all the material for both the class and competitions.
“It is intense,” said Declan Lin ’21 of the B team.
Ocean Science may be a rigorous class, but it pays off because the class effectively prepares its students for college classes in the area of study.
“Taking this class was my inspiration to specialize in marine biology in the future,” said the A Team’s Henry Hua ’20.