- Upper School
The Hangzhou International School edition of the Science Bowl began through a casual conversation with a close friend at Stone Hill International School in Bangalore.
Their school was hosting the competition that year, and they had received an invitation to participate. As they explained what the Science Bowl was and how fast-paced it could be, the idea immediately caught my interest.
When she asked if I wanted to be part of it, I realized that bringing the Science Bowl to my own school could be a welcome initiative. Even though we had never participated before, I felt it was a great opportunity for my peers.
The Science Bowl uses question formats such as multiple-choice tasks, rapid-fire questions and team challenges. It encourages students to engage in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) in a fun and competitive environment.
After gathering the basic information about how the competition worked, I decided to propose the idea to my school administration. I explained how participating in the Science Bowl could benefit students by strengthening academic skills, encouraging teamwork, and giving us a chance to compete with other schools. The school admin was supportive, and with their approval, I started working on the next planning steps.
Once HIS agreed to join, the challenge was finding students who wanted to participate. Many students were unsure about what the event involved or whether they had enough science knowledge. I reached out to classmates and put up posters to spread the word.
Gradually, a group of interested students formed, each with strengths in biology, chemistry, physics, environmental systems and societies and psychology. We registered a combined Grade 10, 11 and 12 HIS team.
Forming the team was only the start. My main role was communicating between the host school and our HIS team, sharing topics and materials, and keeping everyone updated on what to focus on.
I helped make sure everyone understood the areas we needed to practice and clarified questions from the information we received. Coordinating practice times and keeping track of updates from the school in Bangalore took some effort, but it helped the team stay on track and be prepared for the competition.
Throughout this process, Ms Kushner played a big role in supporting us. She helped with coordination, made time for meetings, and communicated with the administration when needed. Her guidance made it much easier to manage everything.
Looking back, what started as a simple invitation turned into a practical experience that taught me how to organize, communicate, and support a team. We look forward to participating again next year and are aiming to host a Science Bowl of our own in the future.
Many thanks to our Grade 10 participants Paul S, Tiger L and Lydia Y; Anna L, Tonya L and Diego W from Grade 11; and our Grade 12 seniors Claire S, Joseph F and JiaChen Q.