CVHS teams place fourth and fifth in Science Bowl

“What section of the small intestine is the first to receive gastric contents?”

“What term is given to a body of sediments deposited where a stream flows into a body of standing water and its velocity and transporting power are suddenly reduced?”

“In the Standard Model of particle physics, all forces arise because of the exchange of what fundamental class of particles?”

Who knows the answers to those questions? The CVHS science bowl teams do!

Two teams from CVHS competed in the regional Department of Energy (DOE) National Science Bowl at Las Positas College on Jan. 28. The first team (Castro Valley #1), consisting of seniors Bright Zhou, Holden Parks, Mason Kwan, Dana Lin, and Yeseong Kim, placed fourth overall, and the second team (Castro Valley #2, also known as Team Gryffindor), consisting of seniors Seamus Guerin, Lydia Henderson, Katie Weese, Brian Zhang, and sophomore Mira Muhlfelder, placed fifth in its preliminary bracket.

“I went into the competition just wanting to do better than last year, to get past the preliminary rounds,” said Zhou, the captain of the first team. “But I never expected getting as far as we did. After winning the first few matches, every success thereafter was just unbelievable.”

Guerin, captain of Team Gryffindor, was also pleased with his team’s performance: “Even though we didn’t place super high, I’m so proud of Team Gryffindor for going out and competing in the first place,” said Guerin. “I’ll admit that I was pretty nervous going from round to round, but when it’s game time, it’s game time.”

There were a total of 24 teams at the competition, which began with each of the teams being placed into a preliminary round with five other teams. The two teams with the best records in their respective pools moved on to the semifinal rounds. The competition itself was won by a team from Irvington High School, with a team from Foothill High School placing second, and a team from Dougherty Valley High School placing third.

Both CVHS teams were coached by chemistry teacher Deborah Yager. Team members met intermittently throughout this past year in preparation for the event. Each meeting consisted of studying various topics in math and science, including chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, and others. The amount of studying, however, increased exponentially as the competition approached.

“The Kaplan and Princeton review books that warn students to never study the night before a test are wrong,” proclaimed Zhou. “It pays to study something, not cram, mind you, but just focus on one topic. I learned plant hormones the night before, and karma rewarded me with five questions about abscisic acid and ethylene.”