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Redding Regional Science Bowl
Redding Regional Science Bowl
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For the first time in 20-years, this year the Science Bowl added a Middle School competition, which made this year's event the largest Redding Regional Science Bowl on record; 17 middle school teams from 12 schools, and 28 high school teams from 14 schools representing seven Northern California counties.  This event is primarily funded and planned by Redding Electric Utility (REU) along with other community partners and Shasta County Office of Education/North State STEM. Since partnering with SCOE the event has been able to reach and recruit more counties and schools teams than in previous years.

Another very exciting addition to the event was the STEM Challenge that SCOE's own, Nathan Fairchild and Chris Dell, lead to engage the students in "doing science."  After lunch over 100 students, from the teams that had already been eliminated from the competition, participated in an activity called Straw Rockets. Teams of 2-3 students and chaperones were given paper, scissors, tape and a straw with the challenge of creating a breath powered rocket that flew the farthest with accuracy.  Not only did the students have fun and engage in the engineering process and design, it helped motivate them to stay with us throughout the day.

After the final rounds of competition and the STEM challenge, the championship rounds were held in Simpson University's gymnasium to create a grander, more climactic finale.  REU purchased 12 laptop computers to be given away during the finals.  The computers provided an incentive for more than 200 students to stay in support of the final teams and receive kudos for participating in the event.  For the fifth straight year University Preparatory School won the high school competition.  Chico High School finished second.  U-Prep's two middle school teams also finished first and second in the middle school division.  Both championship teams will travel to the National Science Bowl in Washington D.C. April 27- May 1.