Peak Performers, All

No, it wasn’t the showing they wanted, but the five members of North Hollywood High School’s Science Bowl team have nothing to be ashamed of. The squad took second last week in the national competition, continuing a streak of peak performances by teams from Los Angeles Unified School District.

Iris Ahronowitz, Emily Kuwahara, Greg Marsden, Michael Saji and Emily Wang spent months preparing for the quiz show-style competition in which contestants answer rapid-fire questions about subjects from astronomy to zoology. Marsden described the finals as “all reflex. Everybody can get the answers.”

Not everybody.

Spots at the national tournament don’t come easy. Some 8,000 students from 1,600 high schools vied for a slot at the event. The North Hollywood squad’s strong showing amid that kind of competition reflects well not only on them, but on their teachers and coaches as well.