LUBBOCK, Texas — Every year 5,000 middle school students have competed in the National Science Bowl tournament to put their knowledge and problem-solving skills to the test. One of those teams came from J.T. Hutchinson Middle School.

The team from Hutchinson Middle School won the 2023 regional competition and qualified to compete in the national competition in Washington D.C.

Amanda Carmona , an 8th grade science teacher at J.T Hutchinson Middle School, said 2023 would be their first time competing in person since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I was so worried, that’s the thing I wanted most for them to win this year,” Carmona said. “I knew nationals was going to be live and they missed out on that opportunity last year. So that was why I was so hopeful that they would win, and they did.”

Sponsored by the U.S Department of Energy, The National Science Bowl has brought thousands of middle and high school students from across the country to compete in technical problems and answer question about biology, physics, math, chemistry and Space Sciences.

The students on the team shared what they have enjoyed most about competing.

“I like physics because you can explain how moving things work and a lot of the dynamics of the world,” Raagha Vnandana said. [Then] biology I can understand why I am alive and how my systems work.”

Lishan Prado said, “I often imagine concepts, and what formulas I have to calculate to answer the problem.”

Carolina Moon said they work together to memorize all the information they need for the competition.

“Calling each other, reading our textbooks, taking good notes, practicing,” Carolina Moon said.

The National Science Bowl was scheduled to take place in April 27 – May 1 in Washington D.C.