Friday, December 25, 2009

PCA Academic Competition Team Takes On the World


DOVER—
Who coined the term Newspeak? Which state has a national park encompassing a deep-blue lake in the heart of a dormant volcano? If the sum of all the edges of a cube is 48 inches, what is its volume? Which is the largest European sea? (Answer: George Orwell, Oregon, 64 cubic inches, Mediterranean Sea).
Thirty-one Portsmouth Christian Academy students from junior high and high school faced their computers and 200 rapid-fire questions like these, as they competed against thousands of international students in the 53rd Knowledge Master Open academic competition, held Dec. 2. This online competition is judged both on the basis of accuracy and speed of answer.
PCA was the only junior high school in New Hampshire to compete, and one of only two state high schools taking part in the competition. All four PCA teams played well, with PCA’s Upper and Lower School “A Teams” showing particularly strong results. PCA’s Upper School “A-team” scored 1338 of 2000 possible points, answering 173 out of 200 questions correctly the first time. These results placed PCA in the top third of the 678 high school teams who participated.
PCA’s Lower School “A-team” correctly answered 172 of 200 questions on the first try, for a total score of 1321 out of 2000 possible points. This result placed the team in the top 100 of 577 teams competing.
The Knowledge Master Open runs on classroom computers to allow all students the opportunity to compete in a large academic event without the expense of travel. Results of the contest are tabulated into overall, state and enrollment-size rankings by Academic Hallmarks, a Colorado publishing firm that hosts the event. Contest results and example questions are available at www.greatauk.com.
“We compete in this event regularly and it always amazes me to see how much the students know, or, if they don’t know the answer, how well they reason it out together,” says Quiz Club coach Donna Capern. “We compete in several different academic competitions and this is always one of the most challenging. I’m proud of how well our students have performed, and they just keep getting better.”
Portsmouth Christian Academy is located at 20 Seaborne Drive, Dover. PCA offers a challenging academic curriculum from preschool through high school along with competitive athletic programs and other stimulating extra-curricular activities. For more information, please call 603.742.3617 or visit the school’s web site at www.pcaschool.org.
Photo caption: Thirty-one Portsmouth Christian Academy junior high and high school students competed against thousands of international students in the 53rd Knowledge Master Open academic competition, held Dec. 2. This online competition is judged both on the basis of accuracy and speed of answer. (Courtesy photo)