Wayzata Central Middle School Wins Minnesota Regional Middle School Science Bowl
Virtual competition provided students connection during the COVID pandemic

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

St. Paul, MN [February 15, 2021] - Wayzata Central Middle School has won the 2021 Minnesota Regional Middle School Science Bowl, hosted by the Minnesota Academy of Science (MAS) on Saturday, February 13. Wayzata Central’s winning team - Rahul Billakanti, Khoa Le, Pratyay Manepalli, Aaratrika Mondal and Pughazh Saravanan - will compete in the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Middle School Science Bowl this spring. 

Wayzata Central’s two additional teams came in second and third place in the virtual competition, while the team from Wayzata West Middle school came in fourth place. "We are very excited about finishing in first, second and third place, with our Team 2 advancing to the National Science Bowl Competition. Our school is extremely proud of these bright, hard-working students,” said Wayzata Central Middle School coach Polly Laugen. See full competition results at mnmas.org/science-bowl. 

During Science Bowl, students compete in teams to answer questions from numerous branches of science and math. The virtual tournament runs in a fast-paced, synchronous format, where team scores are compared to determine who advances to the next level of competition. Science Bowl enables students to increase their teamwork skills while also learning more about science and math. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) events such as Science Bowl also motivate students, keeping the STEM pipeline in Minnesota strong. 

Founded in 1873, the Minnesota Academy of Science (MAS) is a statewide 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering interest in STEM by sponsoring STEM-education programs and events for students in elementary school through college. MAS sponsors Science Bowl with the help of more than 25 volunteers and with generous support from General Mills, Ecolab, Hardenbergh Foundation, the Minnesota Department of Education, and the United States Department of Energy.