Tribune/Nathan Orme - The Science Bowl team from the Coral Academy of Science competed in a statewide competition this weekend in Las Vegas. Clockwise from top left are: junior Tim Chancy, teacher Tekin Tuncer, senior Jonathan Turner, senior Adam Khan and junior Jeremy Stevens. Not pictured is junior Danielle Swanson.
Photo courtesy Tekin Tuncer - From left to right at the table, Jeremy Stevens, Danielle Swanson, Adam Khan and Tim Chancy participate in a round of the Science Bowl. Questions covered all areas of science, including astronomy, biology and chemistry.
“It’s kind of silly that the (U.S. Department of Energy) is spending money on a competition when they should be using it for other things,” said Adam Kahn, a senior at Coral.
That kind of critical thinking was put to use on Saturday in southern Nevada when a team of Advanced Placement students from Coral Academy traveled to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to be part of the 18th annual Nevada Regional Science Bowl on Saturday.
The Science Bowl is sponsored by the Department of Energy. Thirty-two teams, including students from Reno High School, from Nevada, California, Arizona and Utah competed, using their advanced math and science skills in a Jeopardy type of question-and-answer format in a double-elimination round.
Prior to going to Las Vegas, the five Coral Academy students looked forward to going up against some of the region’s brightest kids in the areas of math and science.
“We’re here to kick some a-word,” Kahn said on Thursday. “We’re not here to spend the state’s money to not do good.”
The other students on the Coral Academy team included senior Jonathan Turner, 17; junior Jeremy Stevens, 17; junior Tim Chancy, 15; and junior Danielle Swanson, 17.
Chancy had been to the competition before, so he knew what to expect.
“They’re timed games,” he said. “They ask about you about math, computer science, general science, biology, biochemistry.”
Their coach, AP chemistry teacher Tekin Tuncer of Coral Academy, said the kids were well-prepared.
“I’m sure they’ll do better than they did last year,” Tuncer said.
Tuncer selected the students based on who he thought could best perform in the competition.
Tuncer reported on Sunday after they returned from Las Vegas that Coral Academy team did not advance to the national finals, which take place in Washington, D.C., but said they did very well.
“They made eighth place out of 32,” Tuncer said. “They won the first two games, then lost the third game. ... They had three wins and two losses. They did a great job. They did a much better job than last year.”
Tuncer reported that Reno High School placed fifth.
The purpose of the Science Bowl is to challenge students to foster an interest and excellence in math and science.
According to the Department of Energy’s Web site, www.nv.doe.gov, more than 100,000 students have participated in the Science Bowl since 1991.
Coral Academy of Science is a public charter school that teaches all subjects but has a particular emphasis on math, science and technology. It’s an option for parents who would prefer to have their students in much smaller classes than the traditional public school in Washoe County.
But Coral Academy does more than just science, said executive director Erdinc Ajar.
He said the school is noted for its afterschool programs in which students prepare for academic competitions nationwide.
In the 2007-2008 school year, students participated and fared well in the MathMatters, Spelling Bee, SimCity and Science Olympiads competitions, among others. The school also hosts multicultural dinners and a Shakespeare festival.
“The parents are very satisfied (with their students’ education),” Ajar said.
GO CORAL ACADEMY Proud to say that 3 of those kids are in my everyday life, They are amazing!
WOOOO GO CORAL!