On March 8, many LOHS students participated in the Science Bowl, earning awards for their achievements. Junior Liam Aranda Michel is one of these students, winning first in the engineering category, an OSU scholarship award, and an opportunity to attend the International Science Expo in May. Junior Aditya Malhotra was another student who won awards at this competition; winning an honorable mention in the health category. Along with this, juniors Amandia Scotti & Arada Toloczko both won the Outstanding Use of International System of Units award. Lastly, senior Muen Teng earned the title of U.S. Air Force Outstanding Projects.

The science bowl is a prestigious competition, one that LOHS science bowl teams have participated in for several years. The competition is held by the U.S. Department of Energy’s office of Science, creating fun activities for students who enjoy science to take part in. 

“We compete against other schools within the Pacific Northwest at regional and digital tournaments in February so almost all preparation is based on the in-person Portland tournament that is an 11 hour event,” Hoch said. 

It is a jeopardy style buzzer trivia competition that quizzes students on a multitude of topics, ranging from bacteria to black hole facts. With the wide range of topics, LOHS students have to spend time studying a vast amount of subjects. 

“Preparation means reviewing lots of materials from outside and inside school to master subjects while also participating in many scrimmages to prepare your buzzer skills,” said Orion Hoch, LOHS senior and science bowl competitor. 

Students volunteered to be on the team, and they practiced on Wednesdays. Each year, the team prepares for the various competitions in the Pacific Northwest. 

“We have been winning by an average of 80 points against other teams and have never lost to an opponent in Oregon. Our cumulative record is 16-4 and we have beaten our local rivals Westview and Tigard everytime,” said Hoch. 

For the 2024 science competition, many LOHS students took on new challenges and competed against other schools. They have consistently made it to state and have gotten a high placing. 

“We have been Oregon champs the past two years but have unfortunately lost to Washington the past 2 years,” explained Hoch. 

With these results, the Science Bowl team shows that they are a successful and hardworking group.