A team from Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School in Virginia Beach started strong and then hung on in the finals to win the 17th annual Blue Crab Bowl, a regional competition of the National Ocean Science Bowl (NOSB), on Saturday, Feb. 1, at Old Dominion University.
This was a record seventh straight year that a Bishop Sullivan team has won the Blue Crab Bowl.
Nearly 80 students on 15 teams, representing 11 Virginia high schools, faced off on the ODU campus to demonstrate their knowledge in subject areas related to the oceans. Teams came from across the commonwealth – from Manassas to Virginia Beach, and from Warrenton in the west to Exmore on the Eastern Shore.
This year’s competition was a cliffhanger that required an extra match to determine the final outcome. In the end, Bishop Sullivan’s Team A prevailed. In second place was Seton School in Manassas. Chesapeake Bay Governor’s School-Warsaw Campus Team B and Bishop Sullivan Team B placed third and fourth respectively.
The Blue Crab Bowl is Virginia’s only ocean and marine science quiz competition for high school students. Using questions designed by marine scientists and educators, the contest tests students’ knowledge of oceanography, geology, biology, maritime history, and policy. The Bowl provides a forum for students who excel in math and science to receive regional and national recognition for their diligence and talent. The competition is organized by VIMS and Old Dominion University’s Department of Ocean, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences.
