Mission, Texas- For the third year in a row, Mission CISD (Consolidated Independent School District) will be sending a junior high school team to the National Science Bowl competition in Washington, DC. However, this will be the first time a team from Mission Jr. High School (MJH) has earned the honor. Only 50 middle school teams from around the country advance to the national competition.
The team from MJH earned the chance to compete at the National Science Bowl when they won the Regional Science Bowl Championship this past weekend. This qualified them to compete at the national event that will be held April 28-May 2.
The members of the MJH team are: Briana Diaz, Lucas Dovalina, Rodrigo Moran, Paul McCoy, Damian Gonzalez.
Two other teams from Mission CISD junior high schools placed toward the top. The Alton Memorial Robo-Rangers team and the team from K. White Jr. High School tied for fifth place at the regional competition. The team members from AMJH are: Brandon Balderas, Sebastian Ortiz, Adamaris Sanchez, Miguel Garcia, Cristian Navarro. The team members from KWJH are: David Medina, Isabella Ayala, Joseph Casas, Lisa Garza, Yazmin Cortes.
One team from Veterans Memorial High School (VMHS) also placed fourth at the regional competition. Team members are: Rene Olivarez, Hector Iglesias, Feliciano Escobedo, Kellen Shults, Alexis Aranda.
The 2016 Regional Science Bowl brought together teams from several counties, including magnet schools, charter schools, and private schools. The Regional Science Bowl was sponsored by HESTEC at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
The National Science Bowl is hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). It is a nationwide academic competition that tests students’ knowledge in all areas of Science and Math. The teams are comprised of four students, one alternate, and a teacher who serves as their coach. The competition is an intense, fast-paced, game-show style competition testing the knowledge of the students in Biology, Chemistry, Life Science, Earth Science, Physics, Energy, and Math.
A featured event at the National Science Bowl for middle school students is the Electric Car Competition. Students design, build, and race battery-powered model cars. This tests the creative engineering skills of the students as they gain hands-on experience in the automotive design process and also with electric battery technology.
The DOE created the National Science Bowl in 1991 to encourage students to excel in Math and Science, and to pursue careers in these fields. More than 250,000 students have participated in the National Science Bowl throughout its 25-year history, and it is one of the nation’s largest Science competitions.
Pictured are the middle school Regional Science Bowl champs from Mission Jr. High School (left to right): Briana Diaz, Lucas Dovalina, Rodrigo Moran, Paul McCoy, Damian Gonzalez. Not pictured are team coaches/sponsors: Carolina Barrero, Jesus Razo, David Land.
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