By Walter Zeisl
North Hollywood High School won third place at the 29th Annual U.S. Department of Energy National Science Bowl after two days of intense competition composed of a field of 64 teams.
North Hollywood High School team members include Captain Albert Liu, Hangyul Lyna Kim, Thomas Panenko, Cindy Xie and Albert Zhang with Altair Maine and Len Soloff serving as their coaches.
Wayzata High School from Minnesota won the national championship. Dulles High School from Texas placed second.
North Hollywood High School won $1,000 for its science department for winning the division in the initial Round Robin Tournament. For placing third, the team won a trophy for the school and the students won medals.
Teams also attended lectures and demonstrations from top scientists. In addition, teams were able to visit Washington, DC monuments and museums.
This marks the 13th trophy for the Los Angeles regional championship team at the National Science Bowl, including four national championships, over the 26 years of participation in the program. This was also North Hollywood’s 10th National Science Bowl trophy. Last year North Hollywood placed second at the National Science Bowl.
“This is a terrific accomplishment for North Hollywood High School winning third place especially following last year’s second place finish. We are so proud of the hard working science students and their coaches. The students demonstrated that they are not only among the brightest high school students in Los Angeles, but in the nation,” said LADWP General Manager David H. Wright. “They represented our city and LADWP well. We congratulate them on an outstanding achievement.”
To qualify for the national competition, the North Hollywood High School team won the 2019 LADWP Science Bowl 27th Regional Competition in February, the school’s 20th regional title in the last 22 years.
Science Bowl is a proud LADWP tradition and example of the Department’s commitment to the Los Angeles educational community. LADWP educational programs include the Adopt-A-School Program, an electric safety program for elementary students, Times in Education Program and the Youth Service Academy. This year LADWP is partnering with two non-profit organizations on school education programs focusing on water and energy conservation in classrooms that also include live theater performances. In addition, LADWP co-sponsored an intensive Environmental Teacher Institute involving 24-hours of training.
Award Ceremony at National Finals pictured L-R Coach Altair Maine, Coach Len Soloff, Team Captain Albert Liu, Hangyul Lyna Kim, USDOE Undersecretary Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, Thomas Panenko and Cindy Xie, Photo courtesy LADWP/Dawn Cotterell
