Pilgrim School students competed in math and science competition against 24 other schools in a regional qualifying contest for the National Science Bowl (NSB).

Students from Pilgrim High School competed in the National Science Bowl on Saturday, Feb. 20. The team won two matches and participated in a physics challenge.
(photo by Patricia Sanchez)

Pilgrim School won two matches and competed in a physics challenge. The regional title went to North Hollywood High School, the defending champions.

It was the second year Pilgrim School competed in the event, a huge accomplishment said Bryan Cardella, the team’s coach and science teacher at Pilgrim School.

With a little over 100 students at the school, Cardella said recruiting 10 students to join was great. The team faced schools with a much larger student population in a competition that hosts more than 9,000 students each year.

“If you think about it, 10 students make up 10 percent of the school, so just generating interest was difficult,” Cardella said. “It’s also hard because most of our students are involved with multiple after-school activities, so getting them to commit to the science bowl team was also a challenge. The students that participated though were all fantastic.”

Cardella, who previously coached a NSB team at Immaculate Heart High School, said he wanted to offer students at Pilgrim School the same opportunity.

“The students hadn’t even heard of the National Science Bowl,” Cardella said. “But I reached out to students who were doing well in my science classes, and we were able to put a small team together.”

Senior Jonathan Lee, the team’s captain, said during their first year at the NSB, the team wasn’t sure what to expect and the new experience shocked them.

“The other teams had been competing for a long time, and we weren’t too familiar with the rules or as fast to the buzzer, but it was still a good experience,” Lee said.

The team practiced every week starting in September. Lee said the practices were intense but rewarding.

“We learned so much. We didn’t just study science, but had mock competitions and learned all the rules,” Lee said. “It was hard, but the good kind of hard.”

In January, the team participated in a mandatory scrimmage day simulating the regional competition.

“They realized through the scrimmage how polished and advanced the other teams were,” Cardella said. “It was great for them because it made them more aware about what they needed to work on.”

When they competed in the regional competition, the team was better prepared. Lee said they were determined to do well.

“We didn’t let our size bring us down, and we just focused on winning as many matches as we could,” Lee said.

Competing against more seasoned teams was tough, but Lee said he and his teammates learned from it and enjoyed competing.

“My favorite moment was every single time I or my teammates buzzed in and got the right answer,” Lee said. “Last year we were intimidated by the other teams, but this year we felt more up to the challenge.”

Junior Chanon Boonyindee said he built relationships with other schools during Saturday’s competition, and he was excited to show off what he learned.

“It was great to interact with other teams and learn from them,” Boonyindee said. “It’s important because it gave us a chance to network with students from other schools, and you get to use your knowledge in a different way outside of class.”

Cardella said he enjoyed watching the team compete, especially during the physics challenge where they created a catapult from scratch.

“They were more confident, more cohesive and they were much quicker to the buzzer. They also displayed a lot of teamwork during the physics challenge.” Cardella said. “It was really fun seeing them interact with each other to pull off a task they had no time to prepare for beforehand. Last year we were complete rookies. This year, I expected more, and they gave it their all. I’m happy with that.”

Pilgrim School’s NSB team will include five returning members next year. Lee said although he is a senior, he will remain active with the science bowl team and help recruit future members.

Expanding the program, Cardella said, will be easier after their two years of experience.

“We encourage anyone who wants to join to reach out to us,” Cardella said. “It’s a fulfilling experience, and it’s exciting to do something science related outside of class. Our team lets the students rejoice in their nerdiness with fellow science lovers.”