On Saturday, March 7, students from Haldane High School tested their knowledge of science and math at the regional competition of the National Science Bowl for the second, and potentially last time.
Since both Kaito Kester and team captain Seth Lunin-Pack will graduate next year, the number of members will drop significantly. Additionally, club advisor and science teacher Lee Posniack will be retiring at the end of this year, so the team will need to be rebuilt around a new captain and advisor. Lunin-Pack specified that they “need someone who’s taken earth science and someone who’s taken astronomy, as for both of those, Kaito was the only one with experience.”
Organized by the U.S. Department of Energy, Lunin-Pack, Kester, sophomore Max Kupper, sophomore Alice Stevenson, and freshman Allegra Clementson represented Haldane at Hunter High School in Manhattan and placed sixth out of 14 teams, making it to the quarterfinals. These teams consisted of some of the top high schools in New York City and surrounding areas, notably Stuyvesant and Brooklyn Tech, and even Posniack’s alma mater, Madison High School.
The National Science Bowl is played “Round Robin” style. Posniack explained, “Each match has two 5-minute rounds. It starts with a question where anyone from either team can answer for four points. If answered correctly, they’re given an additional question where the team can discuss, but only the captain can answer for an additional 10 points. Points aren’t lost if answered incorrectly. Points can also be awarded to a team if the other team buzzes in before the question is completely read and they answer incorrectly.”
The questions are based on a wide variety of science topics, mainly biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics, and may also involve math. The math is primarily mental math, so sophomore Max Kupper said that “it’s helpful to know shortcuts and patterns.”
The club prepares for competitions like these in a simple fashion. They meet weekly during 10th period and use questions from previous years and official practice questions from the organizers to hone their skills.
When asked about some benefits and positive experiences gained from this trip, Posniack said, “I find the competition an excellent experience for our students to be able to get out of Cold Spring, see what ‘big’ schools look like, and interact with students from the five boroughs.” Kupper reflected similar feelings and said some of his favorite parts were “getting to see Seth answer five questions in a row” and being treated to Domino’s Pizza for lunch. Kester said, “No matter what level you’re at, Science Bowl is fun either way.”
