GMHS Takes 2 of Top 4 Computer Bowl Spots
Huntingtown High School took first place in the Southern Maryland High School Computer Bowl. Pictured from left are Joey Watts, Vince Kubala, coach Tom Currier, Jason Merewitz, and Gunnar Arnesen.
Encouraging the programmers of tomorrow is the goal of SMECO’s High School Computer Bowl, which marked its 25th anniversary March 1 at North Point High School in Waldorf, MD.
Electric utilities like Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) depend heavily on computer equipment to help keep the lights on, and everything else. Information technology is firmly embedded in the daily lives of their customers. Thus, utilities depend on technology experts who know how to create and maintain software programs that ensure that all computerized systems run efficiently.
This year’s Southern Maryland High School Computer Bowl featured nearly 60 young computer experts in a test of coding skills and technical knowledge. In addition to SMECO, sponsors for the annual competition include College of Southern Maryland, Booz Allen Hamilton, and the Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s county public schools.
A Great Mills High School team won second place in the Southern Maryland High School Computer Bowl. From left are team members Andrew Herbig, Nicholas Oliver, Matthew Mussomele, and Bradley Post, and coach Nora Blasko.
Seven Southern Maryland high schools fielded 15 teams to face the Computer Bowl’s challenging literacy and programming tests. First round is a written test of computer history, hardware, and software. In the second round, teams of three to four students create computer programs to solve specific problems, using programming languages such as Java and Visual Basic. Charles County Public Schools equipped each team with two laptops for the programming portion of the competition.
Taking the top spot was Calvert County’s Huntingtown High School, with team members Gunnar Arnesen, Vince Kubala, Jason Merewitz, and Joey Watts, coached by Tom Currier. In second place this year was Great Mills High School in St. Mary’s County with members Andrew Herbig, Matthew Mussomele, Nicholas Oliver, and Bradley Post, coached by Nora Blasko. Patuxent High School took third place with team members Cameron Gorsack, Hart Herichsen, and Gabe Smith, coached by Donna Herron. Another Great Mills High School team came in fourth place, with team members Nathaniel Bonner, Kevin DiCola, and Kunal Kataria, also coached by Nora Blasko.
Winners received plaques and trophies. SMECO awarded gift cards to the top four teams. Booz Allen Hamilton awarded Samsung Galaxy tablets to the first-place team. The College of Southern Maryland also awarded the first-place winners with performance awards.
Booz Allen Hamilton employees Carrie Dalton, Patti Ferraer, Chad Kilgore, Laurie Lawrence, Jeffrey Rayfield, Douglas Sanborn, and Frank Wolzein served as judges for the competition. Joe Burgin from the College of Southern Maryland and Catherine Wood of System Planning Corporation also served as judges. Lora Bennett and John Stine with Charles County Public Schools developed the literacy and programming tests used in the competition.
