Academic Challenge teams from James Lane Allen, Meadowthorpe, and Rosa Parks elementaries will square off for the 2017 Superintendent’s Cup in the primary division, while older students from Breckinridge, Tates Creek, and SCAPA at Bluegrass will vie for the intermediate trophy. The finals are set for March 28 in Norsworthy Auditorium at the school district’s main office. Youngsters on the winning teams will receive college scholarship offers, along with individuals who topped the writing and math/science assessments (completed separately).
Participating schools in FCPS were divided into three groups for scrimmages and preliminary contests. The regional tournaments were March 11, with the winners moving on to the Superintendent’s Cup. For questions, contact the regional coordinators: Emily Loscheider (teal), Rhonda Parrigin (purple), or Maria Harrington (yellow).
Primary division (grades 2-3)
Teal region
- Winner, James Lane Allen: Lelo Badeagama, Carley Biddulph, Jesus Gavino, Lucy McClung, Leah Pearse, and Gael Villalba;
- Runner-up, James Lane Allen: Jaedyn Clark, Christiana Clayborne, Conner Fall, Leah Greenlief, Owen Rowe, and Teddy Williams;
- Third place, Arlington: Amion Campbell, Bayleigh Chinn, Kaden John, Faustin Luka, Dylan Peck, and Kenny Pierce.
Purple region
- Winner, Meadowthorpe: Jabez Caraballo, Avneesh Kudrimoti, Grady Luebbenhusen, Soumili Maity, and Belle McKinlay;
- Runner-up, Tates Creek: Taylor Cecere, Maverick Kendall, Xavier Richardson, Bethany Watson, Ethan Wen, and Trae White;
- Third place, Meadowthorpe: Eoin Burke, RaeJion Lewis, Abram Phelps, Zeke Steele, Mohnishan Wignakumar, and Corrine Yelowitz.
Yellow region
- Winner, Rosa Parks: Ayaan Hasham, Tyler Johnson, Lilly Kinningham, Stoney Mack, Ahaan Thomas, and Caelan Whitlow;
- Runner-up, Garden Springs: Kishan Amin, Paxton Bloyd, Bostyn Burns, Daniel Davies, Elizabeth Dunne, and Nick Horsfall;
- Third place, Veterans Park: A’ryan Bazgari, Zoe Dziubla, Audrina Hart, Makenzie Rice, Santiago Villasaute, and Amay Xu.
Intermediate division (grades 4-5)
Teal region
- Winner, Breckinridge: Braxton Baker, Nana Bamfo, Micah Patrick, and Christina Stokley;
- Runner-up, Cardinal Valley: Adrian Cox, Paulina DelaRosa, Christian Delgado, Emily Fabian, Daliz Jimenez, and Jean Luca Ponciano.
Purple region
- Winner, Tates Creek: Elise Dix, Asyonnah Ezzard, Aukylah Givens, Parth Patel, Zoey Washington, and Tony Xu;
- Runner-up, Julius Marks: CJ Bachman, Trey Davis, Noah Jones, Christian Kelly, Mayar Maski, and Lacy Williamson;
- Third place, Tates Creek: Kyria Dunham, Justin Garfias, Kyle Harris, Hannah Mullins, Lily Watts, and Gi (Phuong) Vu.
Yellow region
- Winner, SCAPA at Bluegrass: Mina Hartman, Alyssa Morrison, Hanari Otake, Liam Rayens, Elliott Tiennot, and Faith Walls;
- Runner-up, Veterans Park: Owen Cornett, Will Darragh, Julian Dziubla, Kaitlin Gish, Taylor Hill, and Jake Smith;
- Third place, Veterans Park: Jamison Craig, Noah Eversole, Max Kelsey, Camilla Lindahl, Addison North, and Eli Thomas.
The Academic Challenge program, which is organized by the Urban League (One Community, One Voice) and Fayette County Public Schools, aims to instill the importance of education and help close achievement gaps through a competitive tournament that children look forward to. Students receive trophies, medals, and certificates for participating, and the sponsoring colleges award scholarship offers in the finale.
All students in grades 2-5 are welcome to compete; contact the elementary school’s coach in early fall to sign up for 2017-18. For general questions, email Miranda Scully in the district’s office of Family and Community Engagement.