N. Hollywood High Places 4th in National Science Bowl

North Hollywood High School placed fourth in the Department of Energy’s National Science Bowl finals Monday, losing a close match against the defending national champions.

DuPont Manual High School of Louisville, Ky., won the national competition that began Sunday in Chevy Chase, Md., with 300 students on 60 teams from 40 states.

Montgomery Blair High School from Silver Spring, Md., the 1999 champions, placed second this year, and A & M Consolidated High School of College Station, Texas, came in third.

Troy High School of Fullerton was among the final eight teams.

The North Hollywood team, which represented Los Angeles County, went into Monday’s final round as one of the favorites because it had finished second in the last two national competitions.

Team members also were undefeated in Sunday’s double-elimination round.

But in its first matchup on Monday, the five-member team lost to Montgomery Blair, 114 to 90.

“It was a very close match,” said Walter Zeisl, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, who accompanied the team to Maryland. The agency sponsored the regional science bowl competition.

“Losing by 24 points is pretty close,” Zeisl said. “It’s the equivalent of missing two questions.”

Team member Jackie Wong said he is proud of North Hollywood’s accomplishments.

“Fourth place in the nation is a great thing,” said Wong, a senior who plans to enter Stanford University in the fall. “It’s been a wonderful experience. The friendships that have come out of this are incredible.”

Other team members are Daniel Bersohn, Tyler Rubin, Jeff Zira and captain Nina Han.