Antilles School Wins 2016 Regional Science Bowl Championship

ST. THOMAS — Antilles school defeated its competitors to win the 2016 Regional Science Bowl competition, which was held March 6 at the Curriculum Center on St. Thomas.

Sponsored by the Virgin Islands Department of Education, in conjunction with the Water and Power Authority and the Educational Administrators Association, the theme of this year’s contest was “Ricocheting Science into Perspective.” The other schools participating were St. Thomas-St. John Seventh-Day Adventist School, Charlotte Amalie High School on St. Thomas and the St. Croix Central High School.

The three-game tournament pitted contenders in a match-up of wits to determine a winner. Teams of four students and an alternate were quizzed in a fast-paced question-and-answer format on a wide range of science disciplines, including biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, earth science, general science and mathematics. In fact, knowledge of college-level courses was required in order to answer some of the questions.

Near the end of the first game, Antilles School gave a correct answer to a four-point question in its battle against runner-up C.A.H.S. It opened the door for Antilles to answer a 10-point bonus question to win the game. Charlotte Amalie went on to defeat St. Croix Central in a second game, tying Antilles, one to one. St. Croix Central High fought hard in the final game against Antilles, but Antilles emerged on top. Seventh Day Adventist School, along with one team from C.A.H.S. had forfeited their matches, which set the stage for a three-team round robin. Clinching the victory, Antilles took home the 2016 USVI Regionals title.

The school will represent the territory at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Science Bowl in Chevy Chase, MD, April 28 – May 2, 2016. Team members are Shivaang Chawla, David Newhard, Camren Bunn, Jonathan Woods, and Avinash Nagpal. Alan Eberhart is the coach.

Representing CAHS in the regional competition were Kiwanee Smith, Muhammad Ali, D’Briault Atemazem, Cadesha Fredericks, Kera Smith, K’mari McClean and Destiny Frett. Juanita Frett and Ludovic Atemazem were coaches. St. Croix Central’s team roster included Jaylad Norman, Wentworth Gumbs, Giovane Barnes, Imari Julian, and Joshua Ransundar, coached by Demetrius Schmidt.

High school students in grades nine through twelve are encouraged to participate in the annual Regional Science Bowl. They should take the initiative to let their teachers know they would like to compete in the tournament, Walters pointed out. Many participants have gone on to have careers in STEM fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

More than 9,000 high school students and middle school students competed this year from 70 high schools and 50 middle school regional Science Bowl tournaments. The Department of Energy (DOE) created the National Science Bowl in 1991 to encourage students to excel in mathematics 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. It is one of the nation’s largest science competitions.