For Immediate Release
April 21, 2008
Oro Valley, AZ - Twenty-two teams from four states met this weekend at Canyon Del Oro High School to compete at in the United States National Finals of the World Scholar's Cup.
Mountain View High School in Mesa, Arizona, edged Cinco Ranch High School in Katy, Texas, for the overall championship, scoring 16,055 out of a possible 20,000 points. Third place honors went to the host school, Canyon Del Oro. John Emzen of Mountain View High School was the overall individual high scorer, with 8,291 out of a possible 10,000 points.
Eleven teams earned berths at the World Finals, which will be held at the YBM English Village in Seoul, South Korea, May 31-June 1. They will compete there against teams from Australia, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and India.
In the World Scholar's Cup, three-person teams compete in four events at national and regional meets to qualify for the World Finals. Students write essays, debate topics related to the curriculum, take a challenging multiple choice exam, and work together to answer questions in a public Scholar's Quiz.
The World Scholar's Cup curriculum centers on a different theme each year. The 2007-2008 theme is the Frontier. Middle school competitors studied astronomy and space exploration, the art and film of the frontier, a history of explorers, and the literature of the frontier. The high school competition also included economics and math. The theme for the upcoming 2008-2009 curriculum is The Fall of Empires.
Founded in 2006, the World Scholar's Cup is not about specialization in a single subject; it is about teamwork, thinking on your feet, and a willingness to learn new things. Participants have the opportunity to win both individual and team awards, to bolster their extracurricular records for college and university admissions, and to explore new subjects and skills. But, most importantly, they can forge new contacts around the world and benefit from a unique team-based learning opportunity.
"It was an honor for me to help bring these talented young people together and exciting to see them shine in a rigorous academic competition," said Chris Yetman, the local competition coordinator. "We look forward to a dramatic world finals next month."