When people normally think of sports, they think of the rough and tumble of the gridiron, the tussles of the basketball court, and the strength of the wrestling mat. While these sports exude their physical nature, there is another set of competitions at Seminole that students may not be aware of, those of a more cerebral kind. While these competitions do not necessarily make use of students’ bodies, they more than make use of their minds. Seminole High School often does very well at these competitions, with the teams bringing home glory of a slightly different kind.
One of these more cerebral competitions is the science fair, recently covered by staff writer Theresa Joseph. Although most of the work for the science fair is done beforehand, a substantial portion of the judging score is for presentation, similar to a gymnastic routine. Oftentimes, creating a good project is not nearly enough and it is people skills that truly separate the winners from the losers. As seen in the article, Seminole did very well this year, with many competitors from the school winning their categories and moving on to the state level. Not only did many of these competitors win cash prizes, but they also won the right to move onto the state competitions and, in some cases, the International Science and Engineering Fair, one of the most prestigious competitions in the entire country. Along with the science fair, the Science Competition Club also works with scientific knowledge in order to win the major state-wide competition at the University of Central Florida.
President of the club, junior Ravi Jindal, said, “Last year we didn’t do too well because we didn’t really know what to expect at the competition, and therefore didn’t know how to prepare. But this year, all the members of the team have one more year of science under their belt. Because the questions are quick-answer types, they’re meant to test your knowledge of fundamental[s] and the ability to synthesize a complex problem into simple steps. We expect to do better this year, but it’ll be a while before Seminole makes it to the top.”
Another such place for competitions between the brains is Mu Alpha Theta, Seminole High School’s math honor society. An invitation-only club, Mu Alpha Theta competes against other schools in math competitions around the state through its “competitive season”—from January to March. These competitions culminate in state and national conventions that occur later in the year. Many of the trophies won by Mu Alpha Theta are displayed prominently in the administration building. Mu Alpha Theta competitions require a mixture of intellectual brilliance and teamwork in order to bring home the gold.
Sophomore Michelle Zhong, who is secretary of Mu Alpha Theta said, “[Mu Alpha Theta] is a great way to motivate students who love math, and there’s always that wonderful feeling of winning, or even figuring out that one difficult problem.” Seminole High School has traditionally done very well in Mu Alpha Theta, usually winning regional competitions and performing excellently at statewide competitions as well. This past year, the school has come in third at the overall state convention for all high schools in Florida. The club’s t-shirt even represents its seriousness as a competitor: all Mu Alpha Theta members are dubbed “Mathletes.”
In addition to sports that specialize in one area of knowledge, Seminole also fields the Illuminati (the brain bowl team, not the secret society). This academic team competes in two major competitions throughout the year: the Commissioner’s Academic Challenge and the Seminole State College Battle of the Brains. In this field, as in many, Seminole tends to dominate as well. In this past year’s Commissioner’s Academic Challenge, Seminole High School came first (earning 911 points with the second-place team winning 631 points) and with three students from the Seminole High School team making it onto the All-County team that competes in the statewide challenge.
Senior Nauman Javed said that the best part of brain bowl was “[d]oing fast calculations and getting them right along with recalling random trivia faster than anybody else.”
Indeed, academically-based competition has a long and proud history at Seminole High School. Although these teams are not always the best recognized, they certainly make the ‘Nole Nation proud.