The science team at University High School recently surpassed more than 20 other high schools throughout Southern California to make it to the finals of the National Science Bowl.
As television outlet KCAL News reported, five students from the Irvine Unified School District campus were crowned the regional champions at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Regional High School Science Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, Feb. 4. This competition, organized by the U.S. Department of Energy, tests high school students around the region in subjects like math, chemistry, biology, physics, earth and space science through a Jeopardy-style event.
University High has placed first in this competition five times in the last six years, with a winning streak from 2018 to 2021.
University High science department Chair David Knight, who also acts as coach of the science bowl team, said students spend hours outside of class reading college-level books and academic works to prepare for the test questions.
Countless study sessions and practice rounds in the months leading up to the contest led Benjamin Fan, Wendy Cao, Nathan Ouyang, Julianne Wu and Yufei Chen to clinch the top spot.
“These outstanding students showed determination, good sportsmanship and worked together, demonstrating the true spirit of a University High Trojan,” Knight said in a press release. “Our students have an incredible depth of knowledge in each field of science. I am proud of how hard they worked and what they have accomplished.”
The Irvine high schoolers will compete at the National Science Bowl held in Washington, D.C. from April 27 to May 1.
Here are the other stories we’ve been following this week:
- From collaborating with teachers to gathering data, the OCDE Newsroom has gathered some little known facts about the role of school counselors in honor of National School Counseling Week.
- Gianna Carlile, a student at JSerra Catholic High School, has helped raise over $50,000 for a San Juan Capistrano-based nonprofit focused on clean water access in Uganda.
- Students throughout the Garden Grove Unified School District now have spaces dedicated to their mental health needs as the district has equipped about half its campuses so far with Wellness Centers.
- Five school counselors and two counseling advocates have been selected by the Orange County Department of Education as the 2023 K-12 school counselors and school counseling advocates of the year.
- Approximately 550 Orange County high schoolers tested their knowledge during the high-energy Super Quiz Relay event at the countywide academic decathlon Feb. 4.
- On March 3 and March 4, community leaders, educators, survivors and others will discuss the challenges and strategies for protecting those at risk of human trafficking as part of this year’s Ensure Justice conference hosted by OCDE and Vanguard University.
- An Orange Unified School District parent alleged that the school board majority violated California’s open meeting laws when it replaced two top district administrators, the Voice of OC reported.
- The 1:1 Junior Career Mentor Program provides job shadowing opportunities and mentorship networks in a variety of industries to Newport Harbor High School students.
- To celebrate the Lunar New Year, DeMille Elementary School students in Westminster practiced calligraphy and ate traditional foods during the school’s annual Vietnamese Culture Day on Feb. 7.
- San Clemente elementary school students became the first to visit a new marine-themed virtual reality theater during a field trip to the Wyland Foundation Mobile Learning Center.
- New nutrition standards for school meals announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, would limit added sugars and sodium while increasing whole grain intake for students.
- Flag football will become an official sport for girls in the upcoming 2023-24 school year following the approval of a plan by the California Interscholastic Federation.
- The Westminster School District recently hosted its first academic innovation showcase, highlighting its dual-language immersion and science programs for students.
- Visual arts students at Dana Hills High School documented their observations of the ocean and watched for whales during a field trip in conjunction with the local Festival of Whales.
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