Story last updated at 3/3/2010 - 12:25 pm
JUNEAU - For the fourth year in a row, high school students from Juneau took first place in the 13th annual Alaska Region National Ocean Sciences Bowl, also known as the Tsunami Bowl. South Anchorage High School's Team Starfish won second place.
The competition was held Feb. 5-7 in Seward. The competition consists of two equally weighted parts: a tournament-style academic competition designed to challenge students' knowledge of ocean sciences; and a research project that has both written and public speaking components. This year the research project focused on receding sea ice and Alaska's coasts.
This year's Tsunami Bowl broke several new records with 22 teams from 15 high schools and a total of 105 students participating. Teams came from all over Alaska, from Petersburg to Anchorage to Mountain Village.
The Juneau team consists of students from both Juneau-Douglas High School and Thunder Mountain High School. The team included team captain Andrew Gregovich, Sarah Donohoe, Seth Brickey, Sam Kurland, Martina Miller and longtime Tsunami Bowl coach Ben Carney. Brickey was voted most valuable player on the team.
The winning team from Juneau, called "Hot Tropic," won a free trip to compete against other regional teams in the NOSB finals in Florida in April. Other prizes included scholarships to the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of Alaska Southeast.
