NATIONAL OCEAN SCIENCES Lakeview High team is runner-up in Penguin Bowl contest at YSU

The coordinator hopes to incorporate more educational activities next year.
By MARALINE KUBIK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Five students from Lakeview High School in Cortland were runners-up in the Penguin Bowl, a regional competition of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl.
Theirs was the only local team to make it to the final round during Saturday's competition at Youngstown State University.
A team from State College Area High School, State College, Pa., won the science-quiz competition and an all-expense paid trip to the national NOSB competition in San Diego in April.
Sixteen teams from as far as Cincinnati participated in the academic competition, including six from the Mahoning Valley.
School eliminated
Austintown Fitch, Canfield, Lowellville, The Rayen School of Youngstown and Pickard School of Higher Learning, a Youngstown home-school team, were all eliminated before the final round.
"I was on sabbatical in Colorado last year and did this as a volunteer," said Raymond E. Beiersdorfer, regional coordinator for the event and a professor in YSU's department of geological and environmental sciences.
"I thought it was really fun and would be a good thing to do at YSU," he said.
In addition to organizing the event, Beiersdorfer also created a Web site with practice questions for contestants and hopes to incorporate even more educational opportunities for next year's participants.
"I'd like to hold the competition at the Pittsburgh Zoo & amp; PPG Aquarium so the kids can tour the facility -- maybe have a sleep-over at the aquarium," he said. "Because we're so close to Pennsylvania and have schools from both states participating, we're going to try and flip-flop locations for the competitions, having it here one year and there the next."
Helps YSU student
This year, in addition to being an educational opportunity for high school students, the NOSB provided an opportunity for Alyse Prokup, a YSU student, to boost her r & eacute;sum & eacute;, Beiersdorfer said. "Alyse wants to be a teacher, so she volunteered to coach the team from Lakeview and show some of the exciting types of things she can bring to the classroom."
Prokup's younger brother, Nick, a 17-year-old junior, was on the Lakeview team. Other team members were senior John Newbrough, 17; and juniors Grace Brilmeyer, 17, Whitney Keyser, 16, and Megan Taylor, 16.