#b#Shore Bowl Winners#/b#
High School South’s Science Bowl Team was the top winner in the National Oceanic Science Bowl Regional Competition. Team members are Kai Zheng, Dhruva Byrapatna, Eric Mischell, Jamie You, and Ajay Koritala. The team advisor is High School South teacher Sunila Sharma.
The Shore Bowl, a regional ocean science academic competition that is part of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl, was held February 6 at Rutgers University Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences in New Brunswick. The competitions test students’ knowledge of ocean science disciplines through buzzer-style, multiple-choice questions, and open-ended, team-challenge questions.
With its first place win, the team now will compete at the national competition on April 21 to 24 in Morehead City, North Carolina. The theme of the 2016 NOSB is “Our Changing Ocean: Science for Strong Coastal Communities.”
“These amazing students represent our future scientific and community leaders,” said Kristen Yarincik, director of the NOSB at the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. “Our 2016 theme focused on science for resilient coasts arms them with an understanding of the interplay between nature and society to make and support decisions that will benefit our coastal communities and our national economy.”
The NOSB strives to encourage and support the next generation of marine scientists, policy makers, teachers, explorers, researchers, technicians, environmental advocates, and informed citizens, to be stewards of the ocean. Most high school students do not have the opportunity to study ocean science as part of their formal coursework, which makes the NOSB one of the only ways students gain exposure to this field. Close to 300 high schools will participate in 2016.
#b#Presidential Scholars#/b#
Students from High School North and South have been selected as candidates for the United States Presidential Scholars Program. The program, established in 1964 to recognize and honor some of our nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors, selects scholars on the basis of their accomplishments in areas of academic and artistic success, leadership, and involvement in school and the community.
High School North students include Leshya Bokka, Tuhina Chakravorty, Steven Chien, Stephanie L. Ding, Roger Jin, Ronald S. Wang, Alan Xu, and Lucy Ye.
High School South students include Dhruva J. Byrapatna, Kathleen Y. Chai, Sourabh Chakraborty, Eileen Hu, Bharath Jaladi, Kunal Kak, Catherine Lee, Eric Li, Margarita Misirpashayeva, Galen D. Palowitch, Rishiraj Tripathy, Vishal Tummalapalli, Sarah Y. Wu, and Chong Xia.
#b#Oratory Award#/b#
Rishab Bhandari, a junior at High School South, was the winner in Middlesex County American Legion Oratorical Contest. The finals were held Saturday, January 30, at American Legion Post 87, Woodbridge. Each contestant delivered a prepared oration about some phase of the Constitution of the United States, as well as an oration on a randomly assigned constitutional topic. Bhandari, who was sponsored by Lt. John Farnkopf, American Legion Post 401, South Brunswick, will now compete in the regional contest on Saturday, February 27, in Woodbridge.
The purpose of contest is to develop a deeper knowledge and appreciation of the Constitution of the United States on the part of all high school students. Objectives of the contest include the development of leadership qualities, thinking and speaking clearly, and preparation for accepting the duties and responsibilities of American citizenship. Students begin competition at the post level and progress through county, district, regional, and state competitions.
