Mission, Texas- The accomplishments of the 2016 Mission Jr. High School (MJH) National Science Bowl qualifying team will live on as a part of official historical records of the United States. U. S. Congressman, Henry Cuellar read a prepared statement earlier this year from the Floor of the U.S. House of Representatives that has been saved as a part of the official Congressional Record. Cuellar presented the Science Bowl team members and sponsors with special plaques commemorating the event that includes the text of what he read from the House Floor.
The team from MJH earned the chance to compete at the National Science Bowl when they won the Regional Science Bowl Championship. They returned from the national competition with a third place finish in the Electric Car Competition. The team members are: Briana Diaz, Lucas Dovalina, Rodrigo Moran, Paul McCoy, Damian Gonzalez. Dovalina is now an eighth grader at MJH. The other four team members are now freshmen at Veterans Memorial High School. The sponsors for the team were: David Land, Carolina Barrero, Jesus Razo.
Pictured are the team members, sponsors, campus and district officials with Congressman Cuellar during a special ceremony held on October 19. On the front row from left to right are: Damian Gonzalez, student; Rodrigo Moran, student; Henry Cuellar, Congressman; Briana Diaz, student; Lucas Dovalina, student. On the back row from left to right are: Carolina Barrero, sponsor; David Land, sponsor; Jesus Razo, sponsor; Ada Castillo, MJH principal; Paul McCoy, student; Petra B. Ramirez, Mission CISD board secretary; Patricia Y. O’Caña-Olivarez, Mission CISD board president; Charlie Garcia III, Mission CISD board member; Dr. Ricardo López, Mission CISD superintendent.
The text of what was entered into the Congressional Record:
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate a team of student from Mission Jr. High School for earning the opportunity to compete in the national Science Bowl. The National Science Bowl was created by the Department of Energy in 1991 to encourage students to expand their knowledge within the subjects of mathematics and science, and pursue careers in such fields. Since its inception, approximately 265,000 students have participated; helping the National Science Bowl grow into one of the largest science competitions in the nation.
The competition is comprised of Middle and High School teams of four students, one alternate, and a teacher advisor. The teams will compete with each other in the topics of biology, chemistry, life science, earth science, physics, energy, and math. The competition is a fast-paced question and answer session and will be held on April 28th, 2016 through May 2nd, 2016 in Washington, D.C.
The team from Mission Jr. High School includes: Briana Diaz, Lucas Dovalina, Rodrigo Moran, Paul McCoy, and Damian Gonzalez, along with their coaches and sponsors Carolina Barrero, Jesus Razo, and David Land. They recently won the Regional Science Bowl Championship and were one of only forty-seven teams across the nation that qualified for the National Science Bowl. This will be the third time in a row that a team from Mission Consolidated Independent School District will compete. However, they are the first team to represent Mission Jr. High School.
I applaud these bright students and look forward to seeing what they will accomplish in the future. As students begin to consider which career path to choose, it is important to provide increased support and learning opportunities so students are able to graduate and compete in a globally competitive workforce. I believe competitions such as the National Science Bowl bring awareness to students about the possible STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) career. I am proud to have this team of students from Mission Jr. High School represent the 28th District of Texas.”
It is signed with an official seal of the U. S. House of Representatives, Henry Cuellar, Ph.D., U.S. Congressman, 28th District of Texas.