Manatee County students win 2016 Florida Commissioner's Academic Challenge

MANATEE -- Without losing a single point in the championship game, a group of six Manatee County students topped five other teams in the state to win the Division I 2016 Florida Commissioner's Academic Challenge, outscoring Palm Beach County by a mere 13 points.

It's the first time in a decade a Manatee team has taken home the top prize. The Challenge includes teams from 38 counties, answering a series of questions on language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, fine arts, world languages, physical education, health and technology. Teams competed on Saturday in Orlando. Teams were rewarded for speed and accuracy in answering individual and team

questions.

For the students involved, the win hasn't fully hit them.

"I still don't really believe it," said Hannah Sage, a senior at Saint Stephen's Episcopal school. She said a teacher congratulated her at school on Monday morning and it took 30 seconds for her to remember why.

"Winning was really surreal," added Alex Siegal, a junior at Saint Stephen's.

Manatee County holds local competitions throughout the fall, and the top six students from the county earn the opportunity to represent the team at the state level. This year, Saint Stephen's Episcopal School won the local competition and had five of the top six individual scorers. Along with Sage and Siegal, Saint Stephen's was represented by seniors Ethan Leuchter and Joe Class, and junior Vanessa Yan. Lakewood Ranch High School senior Julian La Rosa rounded out the team, which was coached by Saint Stephen's Library Director Christina Pommer.

The team's dedication was part of what led them to success, Pommer said.

"Between the rounds, they practiced the whole time," Pommer said. "The other coaches noticed."

The students are all in Advanced Placement courses, which helped them successfully answer the trivia-style questions. They all have a competitive edge, too, weighing the risk and reward of hitting the buzzer before the question is asked or before they've computed the answer.

"Sometimes you take a risk," Leuchter said.

"But we try not to take risks in the final round," La Rosa finished.

That's because the final round is worth 15 points. The first round is 5 points and the second round is 10 points. If a team answer the question incorrectly, they lose the points. In the championship, where six different teams competed, the Manatee students didn't lose any points. Every time they hit the buzzer first, they answered the question correctly. If Palm Beach County, the second-place team, had gotten one more 15-point question correct, Manatee would have lost.

"The scores are electronic, they're on a screen," said La Rosa. "We knew we won before it was even announced."

Four students play as a time, and the Manatee students each played in two of the three rounds, splitting themselves up based on their strengths and weaknesses. The Saint Stephen's students had played together before and had played against La Rosa in the district levels. In January, La Rosa joined up with the Saint Stephen's students to prepare for the state championship.

"It was easy," he said of the transition. "It went about as well as it could go."

As champions, team members receive recognition from the Commissioner of Education, a trophy, championship ring and each student is awarded $500 in scholarship money to support their college education.

Meghin Delaney, education reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7081. Follow her on Twitter @MeghinDelaney.

This story was originally published April 25, 2016 at 11:48 PM with the headline "Manatee County students win 2016 Florida Commissioner's Academic Challenge ."