Ocean Science Teams Take Two of the Top Three Spots at the Bay Scallop Bowl

The A-Team won first place at the Bay Scallop Bowl. *Photo: Anna Bukhman*

By MANUEL LOZANO-VELEZ, CHARLIE CHAU, SOPHIE TAVERAS, and SABASTIAN SENIOR

With contributions by MICHAEL ONYSKO

Congratulations are in order for the Ocean Science teams, who took two of the top three spots at the Bay Scallop Bowl after twelve hours of heated competition at Stony Brook University on February 5.

The A-Team placed first, and will go on to represent New York this May at a national competition, to be held virtually, sponsored by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The team consists of seniors Selin Aptoula, Laila Dakir, Wesley Corona, Captain Hang Chen, and junior Faith Matthew.

“It’s scary because now I have to go to nationals,” said Matthew, who will be the first junior to do so. “But if we win it’ll be insane because that would be the first national win of any New York team.”

The B-Team, which consists of juniors Ryan McGuire, Charlie Chau, Manuel Lozano-Velez [one of this article’s authors], senior Lucero Rodriguez, and sophomore Captain Anna Bukhman, placed third. The teams faced off against each other in two pivotal rounds, including a shocking win by the B team which handed the A-Team their only loss in the competition.

“Placing third my first time at the competition was exhilarating,'' Bukhman said. “Everyone on the team was super valuable to our bronze victory. Overall, I think it made us more determined to place higher next year.”

The Bay Scallop Bowl is a regional competition of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl hosted annually since 2002 at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University. The two teams had to buzz in to answer paired-toss-up, team challenge, and bonus questions against 12 other high schools from the Tri-State area in a “tournament-style” science trivia competition. The topics ranged across chemistry, earth science, environmental science, and ocean science.

The competition is often filled with intense drama. “In some rounds, it even came down to the wire,” said Dakir. “We also had moments where we couldn’t help but laugh, when all of us were frantically writing on one paper for a two-minute question as if we were playing a game of Twister.”

“There were points where [the A and B Teams] were motivating each other in any way possible,” Dakir added. “I remember walking out of the room and seeing the B-Team down the hall, and we just ran to each other to make sure everyone was moving on to the next round.”

The last time Midwood’s Ocean Science Team made it to nationals was 2016, when they received a fully paid trip to the University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences.

Just like with athletic competitions, nerves can hit before a big meet. Aptoula said, “At first, it didn't really sink in that we were actually competing in real life, but once we got on the bus, I started to get anxious and felt like I could've studied a lot more. More than anything, I was nervous I’d let my team down by answering something incorrectly even though they are not the type of people that would berate you for that.”

“I was just trying to relax knowing that when the time comes to compete, I would try my best,” said Corona. “I might not know everything, but I know that my teammates are going to know a lot more than me, so I relied on them.”

Once competition began, the A-Team got off to a slow start, placing seventh in the Round Robin seeding round. “It was a bummer for the A-Team,” said Chen. “It took a toll on our morale.”

“We couldn’t let it bother us,” said Corona. “I was kind of phased when I found out Midwood B was in second place, though.”

After Round Robin, it was time for Double Elimination to begin, with the first match pitting the Midwood A-Team against the B-Team.

“The expectation was that the A-Team would beat the B-Team and move on for a rematch against Mt. Sinai,” said Mr. Alan Stack, the team’s founder and one of its coaches. “Except it didn’t quite happen like that.”

The B-Team works out an answer during Round 9, against the A-Team. *Photo: Joseph Dlhopolsky*

By the end of the first round, the B-Team was in the lead and the A-Team was “shell shocked and it was visible,” said Mr. Stack. The B-Team went on to win that match by over 20 points, sending the A-Team into the loser’s bracket. One more loss and it would be over for the A-Team.

“This was the first time the B-Team ever beat the A-Team,” said Mrs. Kimberley Lau, a science teacher and the team’s head coach. “I was thinking, ‘Of all the times the B-Team beats the A-Team, it just had to be today.’”

“We were all really proud of the B-Team,” said the A-Team’s Dakir. “We couldn’t help but start thinking about next year and how the B-Team would be unbeatable.”

“Usually the A-Team beats us by a large margin,” said Rodriguez. “It really showed our growth and ability to work as a team. After the match, Mr. Stack told me, ‘There’s no B-Team anymore; play to win.’”

The A-Team had to climb their way back up. Meanwhile, the B-Team played against Mount Sinai. At one point, the B-Team had a 20 point lead, but it faded away until Mount Sinai was only three points behind. Unfortunately for the B-Team, at the very end of the second round, Mount Sinai guessed a question before even hearing the answer choices and got it correct, hanging a first loss on the B-Team.

“Everything happens for a reason,” said Mrs. Lau. “While the B-Team might’ve been disappointed that they didn’t get first or second, their third place result led to their teammates having first.”

As the competition progressed, the A-Team managed to fight back into the top four, meeting up with the B-Team once more in round nine; it was truly a battle of the Hornets.

By the end of the second round, the score deficit was only nine points, with the A-Team in the lead. However, at the very last second, Rodriguez buzzed in and guessed correctly, earning the B-Team a bonus question. The B-Team answered, but it was a point of contention and required the ruling of Poseidon’s Court, which consisted of all the science judges. Unfortunately for the B-Team, the court did not rule in their favor. The A-Team had survived 39-34 to move on to the final round.

“Everybody was on the edge of their seats,” said Rodriguez. “In my head, I was praying that they would accept it. The judges were vouching for our answer, but it was missing one keyword: enzymes. We weren’t going to go out without a fight.”

“The A-Team were beasts,” said B-Team Captain Bukhman. “They deserved it because they were dedicated, trusted each other, and worked really hard.”

“One half of me wouldn't have minded if the B-Team got their bonus correct because I couldn't imagine having to go against Mount Sinai [twice to win],” said Aptoula. “But the other half of me realized how far we had made it and that first place was actually a possibility.”

Against all odds, the A-Team managed to make their way to the finals against Mount Sinai for the win. Mount Sinai was undefeated, meaning the A-Team would have to win two rounds against them because the A-Team already had one loss.

“I really wanted to win for Ms. Lau because Mount Sinai has beaten us so many times,” said Corona. “Almost every year, we get second place to them. They were winning by the second half of the first round, which made me start to think, ‘We might lose,’ However, we came back. We tried hard, and made it to the second round.”

Midwood won the first matchup 38-35, forcing an eleventh round because both teams were now tied with one loss each.

Despite the pressure, the Hornets showed no fatigue, rocketing to an astounding 42-4 lead, and by the end of the first half, led Mount Sinai 65-28. In the second half, Mount Sinai was able to make a comeback, scoring 44 more points, putting the teams neck and neck. But Midwood held strong, and the A-Team’s final answer solidified their win by a final score of 77-72.

“When the judge anointed the final answer correct it was like a fever dream,” said Bukhman. “Everyone was quiet for a bit and then we were all yelling, hugging, and celebrating with joy and excitement!”

“I felt a sense of relief,” said Adam Terli ‘23, a B-Team substitute. “I knew how hard the A-Team worked and how much they deserved to win, as well as Mrs. Lau.”

“There were only two people who could have led us to victory,” said Corona. “They were Mrs. Lau and Mr. Stack.”

“Mr. Stack ensured that we were motivated and reminded us about the importance of trust,” said Dakir. “He also made sure to check in with how we felt; he would always give a thumbs up or a fist bump.”

Mr. Stack, a science teacher who is now the Assistant Principal of Organization, founded the Ocean Science Team. Mrs. Lau is also the 2021 winner of Midwood’s Sidney Millman Award for excellence in teaching.

“Mrs. Lau is an amazing teacher and coach,” said Chen. “I think we won this year because her materials for the class presentations really improved. From one competition, she would take the things she heard and incorporate that into her lessons, which was amazing.”

The Ocean Science team gives students “more challenges,” Mrs. Lau said, “more of an opportunity to show off their skills, and it gives them a chance to meet other students who have the same abilities. It shows them that they can always push themselves a little further.”

The team is very tight-knit and spends a lot of time together. Besides staying after school to practice, they sometimes practice at each other’s houses on weekends.

“It’s like a little family because the students get really close,” said Mrs. Lau. “It’s nice seeing everyone want to learn and help each other.”

“They are all super kindhearted and made me feel welcome as soon as I joined the team,” said Bukhman. “Being on the B team my first in-person school year and being captain was a bit nerve-wracking, but they were all so kind to accept me and work with me.”

Over the past two years, Covid-19 has thrown a few difficulties at the team. “It was a lot of adapting, wow, so much adapting,” Mrs. Lau said. “Because the competitions went remote, basically the whole set-up was different. We didn’t have our buzzers. We had to buzz in by typing. So yeah, it was different.”

The team’s pride in their school, their performance, their coaches, and each other, was palpable.

“We are a great school, there’s no question,” said Mr. Stack. “When you hear about the schools in New York City, you hear about the private schools, and all these rich schools, but you don’t hear a lot about Midwood. Money and fame isn’t everything. When we [Midwood] go in there, we’re going to compete with you. That’s what we do. We go and compete.”

Mrs. Lau is, “for a lack of better words, a rock star,” Mr. Stack said. “She gets everyone on the team to buy in and work hard and to believe they can win. We’re consistently in the top four, if not fighting for the top spot against teams that have a lot more resources [than us].”

Mrs. Lau said, “When you teach kids who care about what they do – it makes me feel like I chose the right path, like I did the right thing.”