BILLINGS — Five students from the Billings West High School science team are competing in Washington, D.C., at the National Science Bowl competition starting Thursday.
In early March, the team won the 2025 regional competition against other Montana schools, and they are now representing Montana at nationals.
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The National Science Bowl, presented by the U.S. Department of Energy, has been held annually since 1991.
Moderators at the competition ask teams questions about math, physics, biology, chemistry, and Earth sciences.
MTN met up with the team in early April to see how they were preparing for the big event.
"We're excited. We don't think we're going to make it far," said team captain, McHugh Frewin, in early April.
While Frewin jokingly said he didn't have much confidence in the team, while practicing, the team only missed a few questions.
"I think our biggest thing is that most teams have just one person who's an expert in each subject. We have multiple people, we have a lot of overlap, yet we still have that precise knowledge," said sophomore team member, Cassi Byram.
The team has been practicing once a week since winning regionals. Besides each team member having expertise in a variety of subjects, and lots of practice, the team has another advantage in D.C.
Team member, Scott Storm, a freshman at Billings West, has already competed at nationals once in middle school.
"It was kind of scary... staying away from my family for five days, 'cuz I've never done that before. But, it was also really fun there," he told MTN.
Even if the team doesn't take home the trophy, and the $5,000 award for the school's math and science department, they're still proud to be Montana champions.
"I do enjoy science," said Frewin.
