Minnetonka Middle School East headed to National Science Bowl finals

MINNETONKA, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Math and Science Club at Minnetonka Middle School East (MME) is headed to Washington, D.C., next Thursday to compete in the National Science Bowl finals.

With hard work, the MME team came in first place in the team state competition for Math Counts and first in the team state Science Bowl competition, which qualified the team for the National Science Bowl finals in D.C., where they came in fourth in the country.

"This club has been a great way for students to strengthen their presentation skills as well as share engaging presentations on topics including math camps, linguistics, and physics," said Volunteer Team Organizer Sandra Le.

As competition season comes to an end, the club’s spring session will start in May with a scheduled field trip to Scenic Heights Elementary to promote the club to fifth graders and invite them to join when they come to MME as sixth graders. Parents also step up during the spring session and present about their STEM-related careers, including cybersecurity, medical mission work, data science and more.

The Math and Science Club at Minnetonka Middle School East. (Supplied)

The club was founded by Michael Luo, who is currently a ninth-grader at Minnetonka High School. Last year was the first time the team at MME competed in events that draw clubs from across the country. 

Right now, MME's Math and Science Club is led by two students, Alex Ren and Evan Truong. Enrollment is maxed out at 25 students with a waitlist. The club meets every Friday, usually starting with a short lecture by a student. Students are encouraged to sign up and present an area of passion to the club.