Despite snow, sleet and freezing rain all 14 schools registered to participate in the Virginia Regional Middle School Science Bowl made it to the event at Jefferson Lab on March 7.

At the end of the day Longfellow Middle School, which is in the Falls Church-area of Fairfax County, prevailed and will represent Virginia at the National Science Bowl finals to be held in Washington, D.C., April 30 – May 4.

The day kicked off with Jefferson Lab Director Hugh Montgomery welcoming the students, their coaches and many of the students’ family members in the CEBAF Center auditorium.
“Math and science is both important and fun,” he commented. And that it helps us “understand how our world works makes it even more amazing.” He was delighted to see so many excited young faces, and he acknowledged the importance of the many parents in the audience as well as teachers and coaches for encouraging their students and providing that beginning spark of interest for science and math.

The teams spent the morning in a series of fast-paced round robin matches before all 14 teams progressed to the double-elimination finals. In round four, Longfellow fell to Nysmith School for the Gifted from Herndon. However, Longfellow went on to win its matches in the Challengers’ Bracket and, at the end of the day, faced off against Rachel Carson Middle School from Herndon, who made it undefeated through round six in the no-loss bracket. While Rachel Carson was leading at the half, Longfellow pulled ahead in the second half and won 92-68, and forcing the two teams into one final match for the day.

Questions covered topics ranging from mathematics and general science to physical science, earth and space, life science and energy. Longfellow won its second match with Carson, 104 – 92.

The Longfellow team, coached by Jim Bradford, took home a $750 check for its school, a team trophy, individual medals and the regional banner that the team will carry to nationals, in addition to earning a place in the Washington, D.C. National Finals.