By Lisa PAREDES

Twenty Glendale Unified students, five each from Clark Magnet, Crescenta Valley, Glendale and Hoover high schools, competed in the 25th Annual Glendale Scholastic Bowl on Monday, March 2. First place went to the Crescenta Valley team whose members scored a whopping 82 points.

Second place went to Hoover with 67 points, third place went to Clark Magnet with 61 points and Glendale earned fourth place with 47 points.

Held at the John Wayne Performing Arts Center on the campus of Glendale High School, the competition covered 75 questions in fine arts, language arts, math, science and social science and lasted for approximately two hours.

NBC Channel 4 weatherman Fritz Coleman acted as quizmaster, challenging some of Glendale Unified’s brightest students.

The Scholastic Bowl allows GUSD high school students to compete against each other using academic knowledge. While all teams have five members, only four compete at one time. The fifth team member may rotate in to the competition for different phases and subjects.

Phase One of the competition was an essay contest. Team members had 60 minutes to write on an assigned prompt based on a controversial issue. Teams’ scores were added and used as a base score for Phase Two of the competition.

Monday’s competitors wrote about the following: “President Obama recently ordered the restoration of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba after an embargo of more than 50 years. The President has taken considerable criticism from a number of politicians and a large number of Cuban refugees and Cuban-Americans for this decision.

There are economic, social, welfare and cultural components to this issue on both sides. Do you agree or disagree with President Obama’s decision? In your discussion you might reflect on some of the following considerations that may arise from this historic move: political fallout, lifting the embargo, human rights issues, Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp, and reparations. Take a clear stand on the issue and support your statements.”

Clark Magnet High School won this year’s essay contest.

Phase Two of the Scholastic Bowl, or the quiz format, was divided into two parts. In the first part, team members could consult with each other and responded with a written answer.

The last part of Phase Two was a buzzer round with individual students responding to questions. Crescenta Valley won this round.

While each competing student received a certificate and scholarship money, the overall winning team and the essay contest winning team also receive a trophy that remains at the school until the next Scholastic Bowl.

The competition was judged by Dr. Kelly King, Dr. Amy Lambert and Robert McEntire. Arbiters were Dr. Robert Ferraro, Dr. Russell Knight and Xavier Marchan.

Clark Magnet High School’s team was advised by Susan Newcomer and included 12th-graders Kevin Abuhanna, Dylan Greicius and Joshua Valerio along with 10th-graders Aram Arutyunyan and Bhavin Shah.

Crescenta Valley High School’s team was advised by Amanda Lyons and Sierra Vasquez. Team members included 12th-graders Nishanth Bhaskara, Nicholas Mayer, Deborah Rheem, Austin Ruiz and James White.

Glendale High School’s team was advised by Mary Hazlett, Sarah Morrison and Kelly Palmer. Seniors Timothy Lee, Keith Mateo, Grace Park and Matthew Yancheff were joined by 11th-grader Jae In Song.

Hoover High School’s team was advised by Brian Crosby and included 12th-graders Daphne Bogosian and Meagan Yuen, 11th-grader Kristina Laue and sophomores Erin Asadourian and Arvin Barseghian.

First place was awarded $500, second place $250, third place $150 and fourth place received $100.

  Lisa PAREDES