A Rising Tide for Madeira

As first-time participants in the Chesapeake Bay Bowl, Madeira’s Marine Science Club was not sure what to expect. The team, comprised of Cate Avon ‘26, Julia Anne “JA” Williamson ‘25, Paloma O’Leary ‘24, Maddie Gibian ‘26, and Elliana Romero Rainey ‘26, supported by their coach, Ms. Amber Saville-Andree, met a minimum of once a week leading up to the competition. 

These sessions involved more than simple flashcards, according to Paloma, who shared, “Each of us shared marine biology facts pertaining to the competition. We visited the competition’s official website and used questions from past competitions to assist us in researching topics to prepare. Finally, we met with a marine biology professor over Zoom who gave a presentation on many facts that would be useful in preparing for the competition.”  

Each team member worked “to focus on our own areas of interest,” added Julia Anne. All this preparation took place in addition to each student’s Mod 4 and 5 classes, Co-Curriculum internships, and extra-curricular activities (winter musical, horseback riding, and yearbook, to name a few). The dedication paid off, however, when the team arrived at the University of Delaware to compete.

The Chesapeake Bay Bowl, which has been held for 25 years, is a regional competition for the National Ocean Sciences Bowl, an organization whose mission is to “address a national gap in environmental and earth sciences in public education by introducing high school students to and engaging them in ocean science, preparing them for ocean science-related and other STEM careers, and helping them become knowledgeable citizens and environmental stewards.” 

According to their coach, Ms. Saville-Andree, the team was “still getting their bearings in the first round, but they grew in confidence and tenacity with each round” as they competed in six rounds against schools from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. 

The team was seeded fifth going into the first elimination round, managing a last-minute tie. This led to a tie-breaker question which Cate Avon “blew out of the water with her knowledge of filter feeders,” leading to an upset.  

In the second elimination round, the Madeira team held their own against Thomas Jefferson High School’s A-Team but did not win the round. This brought them to the consolation round. “Tensions and adrenaline were high,” said Paloma. “We knew at that moment we would either take home fourth or third place in the competition. Either way, we were incredibly proud of our team, as it was Madeira’s first year ever competing in the Bay Bowl, so we didn’t even have an expectation of where we would place.” 

After another nail-biting round, Madeira’s team pulled off another upset, winning by a single point, leaving the team “ecstatic,” by Paloma’s estimation. 

According to Ms. Saville-Andree, “Throughout the competition, the Madeira team was getting love and support for being the only all-girls' team, but the congratulations after the upsets and 3rd place win were even greater. 

The self-assurance did not come solely from outside congratulations. “My biggest takeaway from the competition is to be confident with what I know,” stated Julia Anne. “We were expected to come in second-to-last place, but as our team gained confidence throughout the competition, we were suddenly in the top three!” 

Riding a celebratory wave, the team made their way to the beach to “watch the sunset and look for shells in true marine biologist fashion,” Paloma shared. 

The team is now looking ahead, in more ways than one.

Julia Anne is anticipating a possible marine focus during her Co-Curriculum studies. “Marine science is a topic that I’m interested in potentially studying in the future, and going to the competition allowed me to meet people who actively work in the field and could give me advice or internship opportunities for my senior year internship.” 

With plans for a practice schedule in the making, these students are excited to prepare for next year’s competition, says Ms. Saville-Andree. “They’ve got their eyes set on the top two!” 

#MadeAtMadeira #MadeiraResiliences #MadeiraEducators #MadeiraSTEAM #MadeiraScience #MadeiraClubs