North Hollywood High won the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s 29th Annual Science Bowl Regional Competition on Saturday, Feb. 20, this year held virtually for the first time amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each member of the North Hollywood High team will receive a $1,000 Hitachi Scholarship, according to a LADWP statement. Their school’s science department gets $3,000 from LADWP.
The team will compete, along with seven other California schools, in a field of 63 regional qualifiers aiming for slots at the National Department of Energy Science Bowl. Preliminary rounds start in April with championship competition in May.
North Hollywood snagged the first place Melinda Rho Memorial Trophy, named for the late LADWP executive who worked tirelessly to support the event for many years.
Also ranking among the leaders on Saturday:
- Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School placed second;
- Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies placed third; and
- Harvard-Westlake Upper High School placed fourth.
Each year, the LADWP Science Bowl features the region’s top science students, who display their teamwork skills and science-based knowledge in the lively competition. This year, teams participated from afar via Zoom, aligning with Los Angeles County’s public health orders during the coronavirus outbreak.
Dozens of LADWP employees and their families volunteer to stage the event each year, joined by past participants.
As well as LADWP, sponsors include the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, Hitachi, the Water and Power Community Credit Union, and the Los Angeles Unified School District.