CRANSTON HERALD

March 20, 2008

By Lisa DiMaio

Last month, the National Ocean Sciences Bowl students at Cranston High School West marked another year of success at the Quahog Bowl regional competition in Connecticut, which will propel them into the national competition in Alaska.

"[The] competition is anything to do with the oceans," said team coach Steve Krous."[We cover] social issues, climate, navigation, technology and law."

Since May of last year, the students have been meeting once a week and educating themselves on anything having to do with aquatics in preparation for these events.

"We each take an area...I study geology," said 17-year-old Sudha Panneerselvnm, who wants to pursue a career in medicine but said knowing another subject keeps the doors open for other options in her future. Because of its determination, the Cranston West team has eamed a reputation of being one of the best on the NOSB circuit; this is the team's 10th trip to the nationals. Krous said West has one of the best teams in the country and its secret formula for success is dedication, a lot of hard work and a lot of learning.

"[We] send kids home with college oceanography books [and] from that point on they act like sponges," said Krous.

Driven by their need to succeed, the students are thirsty for knowledge, often spending countless hours at the library or on the Internet, researching information that they can share with their teammates.

"If one of us finds something online, we print it out and study [it]," said 17-year-old Stefanie Rich.

As time passes and the bowl date draws near, the team steps up its efforts by meeting three times a week. Although it may not sound like fun, they relish the challenge and the camaraderie.

"I really like the group and the teacher...the adrenaline is fun," said 18-year-old Ekaterina Sadikova. "[It] generates a level of awareness and 1 want to be aware of [the effects of] global warming"

To top it off, they even have a practice buzzer in the classroom to sharpen their response time. Typically, a team consists of four students plus one alternate and a coach; they face off against another team in timed rounds of multiple-choice or short-answer questions.

Over the weekend of April 25, the group will put its knowledge to the test against 25 finalist teams from around the country in Seward, Alaska. All of the participants will receive recognition and prizes but the top eight teams will receive additional rewards and college scholarships.

Along with engaging in a little healthy competition, the students will interact and build relationships through educational field trips and a barbeque with other students - who share their interests - from around the country.

According to Meaghan Sullivan, 17, the teams are encouraged to show team spirit and some teams show up dressed up in pirate or lobster costumes. Although Cranston West does not arrive in costume, it does carry along its mascot, a stuffed blue/green alga the team named Papahanaumokuakea after the Marine National Monument in Hawaii. It was a bit of trivia the team had some difficulty remembering, for obvious reasons, so they named the mascot to ensure they would never forget the name again.