For more information, visit nosb.org. W. HAWAII STUDENTS TAKE PART IN OCEAN SCIENCE CONTEST ADVERTISING BY CHELSEA JENSEN WEST HAWAII TODAY cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com A handful of West Hawaii high school students spent Saturday answering a barrage of ocean science-related questions in
W. HAWAII STUDENTS TAKE PART IN OCEAN SCIENCE CONTEST
BY CHELSEA JENSEN
WEST HAWAII TODAY
cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com
A handful of West Hawaii high school students spent Saturday answering a barrage of ocean science-related questions in a battle against other teens for a spot at the National Ocean Sciences Bowl this spring.
Four Konawaena High School and five Kealakehe High School students took part in the Aloha Bowl held Saturday at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, said bowl coordinator Cindy Knapman, who is also a UH Sea Grant Communications Leader. However, neither school reached the final round.
Despite not reaching the finals, Konawaena teacher Sonja Caldwell said her students had fun, enjoyed the trip to Oahu and overnight stay at the Waikiki Aquarium.
“It was a lot of fun and really interesting,” said Michael Raiano, a junior who took part in the bowl for the first time. “This first time was pretty unique and it will help all of us next year because we all know what to study for now.”
The Aloha Bowl is a regional qualifying competition that sends one team to the National Ocean Sciences Bowl slated for April 19 to 22 in Baltimore, she said. A total of 25 teams will compete in the national competition.
During the regional competition, students were asked three types of questions: tossup buzzer, bonus and team challenge. Question difficulty increases as the competition progresses, said Patti Stover, a Konawaena science teacher who helped prepare the students for competition.
The educational program was developed to stimulate interest in the ocean sciences among high school students and demonstrate to the public the importance the ocean plays in our daily lives, according to the National Ocean Sciences Bowl’s managing organization, Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education.
One of the long-term goals is to foster the next generation of marine scientists, educators and policymakers for the ocean sciences, according to the organization.
For more information, visit nosb.org.
