Students from the Bear Creek School in the Elizabethtown Area School District (EASD) demonstrated their science prowess at the Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 Elementary STEM Bowl Competition held earlier this spring. The Quizly Bear Avengers, comprising Aryanna Funk, Jackson Nash, Marci Steele and Isabelle Williams, took first place in a dramatic showdown, while the Quizly Bears Squared - Jack Auker-Ender, Rory Lesher, Jacob Hirst and Spencer Schickling - earned fourth place.

The competition featured a quiz bowl format, with teams scoring points for answering STEM-related questions correctly through six rounds. "The top two teams with the highest points after the six rounds play a ... finals match to determine first place and second place, which takes place in front of all the teams, participants, coaches and staff," said Eric Balak, Avengers coach.

The Avengers faced the L-S STEM Stars in the final round, and they triumphed, despite having faced a setback against the team in the preliminary rounds, where they lost 195 to 55. It was particularly sweet to win against that team, Balak said, because the team wanted to avenge last year's defeat to L-S.

He noted that the Avengers started strong and seemed to be getting stronger before they faced the L-S team and encountered their first challenge. After that loss, the team regrouped and Balak provided words of encouragement.

"I informed the team that I was happy they lost and encountered that feeling of falling behind. I also informed them that they need to be like the goldfish," Balak said, noting that he had learned from watching "Ted Lasso" that a goldfish has a five-second memory. "(They had) to put that last match behind them and focus on their next match." The last round went back and forth with each team in the lead at some point until it came down to the last question to determine the winner.

"It was a paper-pencil math toss-up question, out of which Jackson Nash was able to buzz in and provide the correct solution to lock in the victory and earn both bonus questions, winning the finals round 145-120, and knocking out the L-S Stars team that had beat them last year in a similar situation," Balak shared. "They were able to accomplish what they had hoped to as the Avengers."

While the teams prepared for the competition, Balak and coach PJ Schan-Bigler, who guided the Bears Squared, held practice rounds and emphasized their goal: "I prepared the students with the simple message, 'We never lose. We only win or learn,'" Balak said.

As a gifted teacher for the elementary school, Balak knows firsthand the importance of STEM in the classroom. "STEM is a vital part of academics and supports the EASD 'life-ready' model," he said. "Not only does STEM provide opportunities for kids to learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics, it also sparks the development of 21st-century skills, including critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, communication, flexibility and various literacies, by engaging in real-world applications and problem-solving."

Principal Jacques Viau expressed his pride in the accomplishments of both teams, stating, "The dedication and excellence displayed by our students exemplify the spirit of Bear Creek School. Their success is a testament to their hard work, perseverance and collaborative effort."