CCA students win Garibaldi Bowl, advance to National Ocean Sciences Bowl competition

On March 6 students from Canyon Crest Academy won the Garibaldi Bowl, a regional ocean science academic competition that is part of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl. The championship team of Mason Holmes, Andrew Kuang, Eleanor Crotty and Andrew Zhang will now join winners from 20 other regional bowls on May 7-17 for the virtual National Ocean Sciences Bowl Finals.

The Garibaldi Bowl, which was hosted by the University of San Diego, tested students’ knowledge of ocean science disciplines through buzzer-style, multiple-choice questions and open-ended team challenge questions. This is the fourth Garibaldi Bowl victory for a team from CCA—the team’s coaches this year are Mary Holmes and Erinn Eddingfield.

The National Ocean Science Bowl (NOSB) is a program of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, which aims to build the next generation of marine scientists, policy makers, teachers, explorers, researchers, technicians, environmental advocates and informed citizens by educating them in timely and relevant ocean science topics. The competitions went virtual this year to ensure students didn’t miss out on the experience of competing with their peers and connecting with the greater NOSB community.

The idea of connecting from a great distance fits in well with this year’s competition theme, “Plunging Into Our Polar Seas”. Kristen Yarincik, director of the NOSB at the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, said polar regions are changing rapidly and understanding and predicting this change will require interdisciplinary research. Students need to know physical oceanography, chemistry, geology, biology, and atmospheric science, but also social science, history, science policy, and environmental justice, as many Indigenous communities are deeply affected by the changing Arctic environment, she said.

“Considering multiple perspectives and collaborating around a shared goal are key to polar science and key to the mission of the NOSB. We’re thrilled that this year’s theme allows students to learn about some of the most pressing scientific questions of our time while also helping them become more thoughtful, well-rounded people,” Yarincik said. “Congratulations to all the brilliant students who competed this year and we can’t wait to see all of our regional winners for virtual finals in May!”

—-Karen Billing