ADVANCED ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Student Recognition

(Scroll down to read about the Dreher High School Academic Decathlon Team.)

Lewis Greenview Elementary School won two first place trophies and Keenan High School had one first place team at the SC State Odyssey of the Mind competition.

Odyssey of the Mind is a creative problem solving competition for students of all ages. The purpose of Odyssey of the Mind is to promote student creativity, to enhance cooperative learning and team building strategies, to develop higher order thinking skills, and to foster original divergent thinking. Teams have to create and present solutions to long term and spontaneous problems. Odyssey of the Mind fits the mission of Lewis Greenview because it promotes the development of competent, secure, responsible students who are life-long learners and productive members of society by providing challenging learning experiences that enhance each student's character and promote academic excellence.

Teams from all over South  Carolina participated in the Odyssey of the Mind State Competition on Saturday, March 21, 2009, at W.J. Keenan High School.

The Lewis Greenview fifth grade team won first place in problem 5: Superstition Pictured above are front row, Hillary Griffin and DaBryelle Jenkins; middle row, Puanjai Ellison, Jalona Webb, and Diamonita Tyler; and back row, Nahla Muldrow and Nariyanna Bookert

Another fifth grade team that won first place in problem 3: The Lost Labors of Heracles.  Team members are front row, John Tolbert; middle row, Day Sha Steward and Amber Stone; and back row, Jacolby Jacobs, Alexia Gilliard, Amber Curry, and Tatyana Peters The coaches for the Lost Labors of Heracles were John Tolbert, Renee Curry, and Franzetta Stone. The coaches for the Supertition team were LeAndra Middleton, Althreasa Middleton, and April Bookert.

Dreher’s United States Academic Decathlon Team had an outstanding showing at the National USAD Championship held in Memphis, Tennessee, April 23-25, 2009.  Each year teams from across the country compete at local, regional, and state competitions to earn the right to represent their state at the national competition.  Dreher, South Carolina’s championship team, placed 16th overall and 5th in its division.

The United States Academic Decathlon is a national organization dedicated to promoting academic achievement through team competition.  Teams consist of three A students, three B students, and three C students.  Academic Decathlon recognizes that not all students are motivated to learn by the grade awarded in a course.  Only students truly interested in intellectual growth choose to participate in Decathlon.

As the name implies, students compete in ten events. Each year a unifying theme is selected. The theme for 2008-2009 was Latin America.  Latin American poems and the novel, Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya were studied for the literature test.  Prior to the competition in Memphis, students across the United States and England wrote an online essay based on a prompt from the novel or Super Quiz.  The test on economics included macro- and micro-economics with an emphasis on the economies of Latin America.  The social science topic was the history of Latin America.  Basic knowledge of Latin American art and music were included in the tests.  A listening component was included in the music test.  This year students studied evolutionary biology as their science topic.  Charles Darwin’s studies conducted on the Guadeloupe Islands served as a launching point for the detailed study of evolutionary biology.  

This year’s Super Quiz was evolution. The Super Quiz competition includes a final round conducted before an audience. In nine rounds team members individually go to the stage to buzz in responses to their five questions. Team scores are flashed on the screen after each student completes his round of questions. The math competition is the only test not tied to the unifying theme for the year. Questions on the math test can be from algebra, geometry, probability, number theory, or calculus.  Students must deliver a prepared speech and an impromptu speech and they are interviewed by a panel of judges.

Dreher’s United States Academic Decathlon Team sports sunglasses given to contestants in Memphis, home of Elvis Presley.

At the Nationals, Jill Prier earned a perfect interview score and was awarded the overall gold medal. While no other team member received an individual medal, the students did well. Laura Hubbard was 9th in Art and Economics, 10th in Music, 11th in Social Science, 12th in Language and Literature, 14th in Math and Essay, and 16th in Super quiz in the Honors category. As a result of her high cumulative score, Laura Hubbard received a $500 scholarship.

Caitlin Orr was 6th in Music, 8th in Essay, 10th in Economics, 12th in Art, 14th in Social Science and 15th in Math at the Honors level.

Jill Prier was 1st (overall) in Interview, 14th in Math, 15th in Social Science, 16th in Music, and 17th in Language and Literature and Art.

Melissa Corbett was 12th in Interview, 13th in Language and Literature, 17th in Music and Math, and 19th in Art at the Scholastic level.

John Cuenin was 5th in Economics, 10th in Social Science, 14th in Math, 15th in Language and Literature and Interview and Art, and 17th in Music at the Scholastic level.

Stuart Teal was 8th in Interview, 9th in Math and Economics, 16th in Super Quiz and Art, and 18th in Music at the Scholastic level.

Daniel Haddad was 10th in Speech, 12th in Super Quiz and Social Science, 14th in Language and Literature, 15th in Math, and 17th in Art at the Varsity level.

Chandler Hill was 11th in Math, 14th in Art, 16th in Social Science, and 19th in Music and Economics at the Varsity level.

Jacob Reyes was 12th in Music, 14th in Language and Literature, 15th in Art, 16th in Essay, 17th in Social Science and Math, and 19th in Economics.

All of the team members have been dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and built a comradery that they have displayed throughout this year. Congratulations!  The winning tradition at Dreher continues.  Dreher, as state champion, has represented South Carolina in competitions in Anchorage, Alaska; Erie, Pennsylvania; Boise, Idaho; Chicago, Illinois, San Antonio, Texas; Honolulu, Hawaii; Los Angles, California; and Memphis, Tennessee. Thanks go to the district for its support of this rigorous academic pursuit and to the students for their devotion to academic excellence.