Whitewater Technology Students Win Awards

Whitewater High School TSA officers (L-R from top to bottom) Rhandi Finch, Jon Lester, Jason Menko, Zuri Coleman, Guppy Scott and Katie Cassidy.

Officers of the Technology Student Association (TSA) at Whitewater High School take first place at the Georgia TSA Chapter Officer Retreat for Excellence (CORE).

TSA is the oldest student organization dedicated exclusively to students enrolled in technology classes in grades K-12. The CORE program is designed to provide local chapter officers with an opportunity to develop interpersonal and leadership skills, gain necessary knowledge and abilities to carry out the duties of their individual offices, and prepare a Chapter Program of Work that outlines activities for the coming year.

After attending a day of workshops, chapter officers turn in their Program of Work to state officers for review. Whitewater’s officers were awarded first place. The officers are Rhandi Finch, Jon Lester, Jason Menko, Zuri Coleman, Guppy Stott and Katie Cassidy.

In addition to the Program of Work win, Jason Menko and Carolyn Smith both earned the Statesmen Award that is given to students who receive at least an 85 on a test about TSA’s general information, history, officer duties, awards and other TSA facts.

Whitewater’s team also delivered a presentation to other chapters attending CORE. The team received excellent remarks and comments from the attendees.

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Young Fayette County Poet One of 10 in US to Win Literary Honor

Huddleston Elementary in Peachtree City broke a record in the spring when they had the largest number of students in the school’s history, 19 to be exact, with their original poetry accepted for publication in Creative Communication’s anthology, “A Celebration of Poets.”

Now Huddleston celebrates another honor as they have just learned that one of the 19 students has been named a Top Ten Poet. Jack Bragg, third grade, is one of only 10 poets from the K-3 division to earn the honor for his poem titled “Peace,” and is the only award winner from Georgia.

Jack wrote the poem last year as a second grader in Lisa Evans’ enrichment class.

Thousands of poems from throughout the United States were considered for the Top Ten award. Jack will receive a $50 US Savings Bond and the school will get a complimentary copy of the anthology in recognition of his award.

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Starr's Mill HS Economics Team Places Third at Nationals

The finale of the Starr’s Mill High economics team ride to the National Economic Challenge Championship Finals in New York City ended with a third place finish at their first national competition.

Team members Keegan Christensen, Joseph Morrow, Ben Payne and Kendall Reeves squared off against three other high school teams from Minnesota, Indiana and Hawaii. The team competed in the David Ricardo division for students enrolled in single semester general economics classes. Economics teacher Mark DeCourcy coached the team.

Over 8,000 high school students in 34 teams competed this spring to advance to the championship series. Starr’s Mill’s road to the finals began when they won the state competition in March and then took the championship at the regional level in April.

The National Economics Challenge is an academic tournament that tests high school students both individually and as teams on their economic knowledge and problem solving skills. It is a competition demanding both critical thinking and teamwork. The challenge was established in 2000 with the support of the Goldman Sachs Foundation in a signature partnership with the Council for Economic Education. It is the only national economics competition for high school students.

Prizes are awarded to first and second place winners at the national and regional level. As the regional champions, each team member and DeCourcy received a $1,000 U.S. Savings Bond. Additionally, as the state winners, Georgia House Representative John Yates drafted HR 1049 to honor the school, its team and DeCourcy for their achievement.

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Starr's Mill HS Economics Team Advances to Nationals

From state champions, to regional winners and now on to the national championships, economic students at Starr’s Mill High are on a roll.

The team of students emerged as the winners of the southern regional 2009 Council on Economic Education/Goldman Sachs Foundation National Economics Challenge held at the Federal Reserve Bank in Atlanta on April 27. The Starr’s Mill team was one of 16 from across the 11-state Southeast region that competed in the tournament.

Team members include Keegan Christensen, Joseph Morrow, Ben Payne and Kendall Reeves. Led by economics teacher Mark DeCourcy, the team will travel, all expenses paid, to the National Economics Challenge Championship Finals in New York City May 16-18. They will join students from other parts of the United States to celebrate their regional winnings as well as compete in the semi-finals with the top two teams facing off at the final competition on May 18 before a live audience at Scholastic Auditorium.

The National Economics Challenge is an academic tournament that tests high school students both individually and as teams on their economic knowledge and problem solving skills. It is a competition demanding both critical thinking and teamwork.

Winners of the national championship and their teachers each receive $3,000 U.S. Savings Bonds with the runner-up teams and their teachers receiving $1,500 U.S. Savings Bonds.

An estimated 4,000 high school students in about 1,000 teams from 38 states around the country competed in the National Economics Challenge Championship Finals last year.

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Starr’s Mill High School Wins 2009 CEE/Goldman Sachs Foundation National Economic Challenge

Economic students at Starr's Mill High School in Fayette County are the statewide winners of the David Ricardo Division 2009 Council on Economic Education (CEE)/Goldman Sachs Foundation National Economics Challenge in Georgia.

Led by economics teacher Mark DeCourcy, the team will go on to the Southeast Regional competition at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta on April 27. Sixteen teams from across the 11-state Southeast region will travel to Atlanta, with the winner from each division moving on the national competition May 16 in New York City. Additionally, regional winners and their teachers will each receive $1,000 U.S. Savings Bonds with runner-up teams and their teachers each receiving $500 U.S. Savings Bonds.

The CEE/Goldman Sachs Foundation National Economics Challenge tests the economics knowledge of high school teams from across the country in an exciting quiz bowl-styled competition. Working individually and in teams, students answer questions related to micro-, macro-, and international economics and current events.

The competition is divided between the Adam Smith Division for students in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, honors, or two-semester courses, and the David Ricardo Division for students enrolled in a general economics course of one semester or less.

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