Intellectual Frenzy: Eight Elementary, Four Secondary Schools Compete in the ACC MatSci Quiz Bowl
by Jennifer Nuevas and John Francis Lopez
In an exhilarating display of academic prowess, eight elementary schools and four secondary schools competed in the MatSci Days 2024 Inter-Elementary and Inter-High School Quiz Bowl at the ACC Business Incubation Facility, Thursday, February 29.
Organized by the Mathematics and Science Organization of Abuyog Community College, the competition aimed to showcase the talents and skills of learners, especially in the field of Mathematics and Science.
In his message, MatSci adviser, Mr. Jose Kim Orven Tan, welcomed everyone in attendance and shared the importance of the activity.
“The key purpose of this endeavor is to pass the understanding that mathematics and science are for everyone and all students can develop the useful understanding of these, and that by having a strong background in math and science, everybody will be prepared for higher education, which will open many doors to greater opportunities over a lifetime,” Sir Tan said.
With the theme, “Eco-Explorers: Nourishing the Students’ Minds with Mathematics and Science,” the day kicked off with an inter-elementary quiz bowl in the morning, where young minds were put to the test in a series of challenging rounds.
The Quiz Bowl started with the trial rounds, then followed by the Easy Round (30 seconds and 1 point), the Average Round (60 seconds and 3 points), and with the Difficult Round (3 minutes and 5 points).
In the elementary category, Gabaldon Central School grabbed first place with 43 points, Abuyog South Central School (34 points) taking the second place, and Balocawehay Central School (28 points) clinching the third place.
In the afternoon, the focus shifted to the inter-high school quiz bowl, which saw students from different high schools engage in intense competition.
In the high school category, Abuyog National High School clinched the first top spot with a total of 36 points. Followed by Javier National High School (31 points), Balocawehay National High School (23 points), and Canmarating National High School (21 points).
In an interview, Krisha Comaling from Javier National High School and Stephanie Michaela Marie D. Tisbe from Canmarating National High School described their experience in competing in the MatSci Interhigh School Quiz Bowl.
“Makurulba na exciting pero at the same time nakaka-proud kay dire kami kumanhi as kami, but gindara namon an ngaran han amon eskwelahan,” Comaling expressed.
[It’s nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time, but it’s also something to be proud of because we didn’t just come here as ourselves, we also represented the name of our school.]
“Maka-pressure tas ginkulbaan kay iba-iba nga schools ang ka compete but at the same time it was a great experience para ma develop ila skills,” Tisbe expressed.
[It was pressure-inducing and nerve-wracking because we were competing against different schools, but at the same time, it was a great experience for them to develop their skills.]
After winning the championship, John Rayver T. Rojonan and coach Fatima C. Escobio from Abuyog National High School shared their joy in a post-event interview. They also discussed the preparations they undertook leading up to the competition.
“Gin kulba ako kay syempre mga pira la ka days an amon pag review. Waray nam ini gin expect nga kami it magdaog. Unexpected ini,” Rojonan said.
[I was nervous because, of course, we only had a few days to review. We didn’t expect that we would win. It was unexpected.]
“Short review lang. Review for two days only. In a short period of time, we did not expect to win this competition,” Escobio said.
[Just a short review. We only had two days to prepare. In such a short period of time, we didn’t expect to win this competition.]
In the inter-elementary quiz bowl, participants represented Gabaldon CS, Sta Fe- Sto Niño ES, Bunga ES, San Isidro ES, Balocawe ES, Balocawehay CS, B.V. Closa CS, and Abuyog South CS.
Meanwhile, contenders in the inter-high school quiz bowl came from Javier NHS, Canmarating NHS, Balocawehay NHS, and Abuyog NHS.