LA PLATA, Md. (March 14, 2011) — The computer bowl team from La Plata High School won the top spot at the Southern Maryland High School Computer Bowl held March 5 at Theodore G. Davis Middle School. As the first-place winners, the team won a $500 performance award from the College of Southern Maryland (CSM), a $200 savings bond, a trophy and an iPod touch.
The team earned the top spot out of 24 teams from 12 high schools in Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s counties. Members include Matthew Koontz, senior; Alex Smith, sophomore; Alexandria BenDebba, junior; and Geordan Lane, junior. Team coach is Richard Williams, a computer teacher at La Plata. Students compete in two rounds of competition – a written computer literacy test, and a teamwork challenge in which students create computer programs to solve specific problems.
A team from North Point earned third place in the event. Student members are Bryn Allston, senior; Sean Danek, senior; Ian Egland, junior; and Thomas Watts, junior. Team coach is Joe Greenawalt, a computer resource teacher at North Point.
Each year, student teams in the tri-county area compete in the event. The event was sponsored by SMECO, CSM and the public school systems in Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s counties. Judges for the event were from Booz Allen Hamilton, CSM, Mantech, the Charles County Technology Council, Naval Air Systems Command and System Planning Corp.
Source: Charles County Public School System