RECORD-TYING WIN FOR CATOOSA COUNTY’S LAKEVIEW-FORT OGLETHORPE AS 2018 PAGE GEORGIA ACADEMIC DECATHLON STATE CHAMPION
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Catoosa County’s Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School, coached by Lisa Beck, Ian Beck and Jessica Chandler, once again captured the PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon (GAD) State Championship. This year marks the high school’s eighth championship, tying Clarke County’s Cedar Shoals High School for the most championship team wins since 1993, when PAGE became the state sponsor. The team scored the highest points overall in Division I and II and was presented the Howard Stroud Championship Trophy.
The two-day academic competition was Feb. 23-24, 2018, at Berkmar High School in Gwinnett County. Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe is a Division II, or small-school (based on school population size) participant, and will be submitted as the Georgia representative to the annual U.S. Academic Decathlon (USAD) National Competition, April 19-21, 2018, in Frisco, TX. In addition, Gwinnett County’s Parkview High School, coached by Melodie Carr, Krista Flowers and Dave Steele will be invited to travel to Frisco to represent Georgia in the newly created National Division IV competition. To qualify, the team was the next highest scoring team in a division other than the state champion’s division.
Division I (large school) winners include: Division I Champion Gwinnett County’s Parkview High School, coached by Melodie Carr, Krista Flowers and Dave Steele; First Runner-up Muscogee County’s Columbus High School, coached by Maribeth Hood and Jan Carter; and Second Runner-up Muscogee County’s Hardaway High School, coached by Carmen Kimsey Morris. Division II (or small school) winners include: Division II Champion Catoosa County’s Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School, coached by Lisa Beck, Ian Beck and Jessica Chandler; First Runner-up Richmond County’s A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School, coached by Philip Grabowskii; and Second Runner-up Chattahoochee County High School, coached by Jeffery Peters, Alyssa Edwards and Dominick Edwards. The U.S. Academic Decathlon also sponsors an Online National Competition for Small, Medium and Large Schools, based on student school population size, which will be held in conjunction with the national finals competition in April. Carroll County’s Villa Rica High School, coached by Cynthia Cox, Sarah Triplett and Russell Bennett, will represent Georgia in the Large School Online Competition; Columbus High School will represent Georgia in the Medium School Online Competition; and A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School will represent Georgia in the Small School Online Competition.
The state competition is sponsored by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) and the Chick-fil-A Foundation. Kennesaw State University serves as a partner with the PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon by hosting and providing expert speakers for the GAD Fall Workshop and providing and coordinating the more than 200 volunteers needed during the state championship competition. Gwinnett County Public Schools serves as host.
Charles E. Richardson, opinion page editor (retired) for The Telegraph newspaper in Macon and a PAGE Foundation trustee, served as Master of Ceremonies for the GAD Awards Banquet, during which the highest-scoring students were awarded both team and individual medals in various competition categories.
More than 150 high school students from 17 high schools representing 10 school districts competed in the academic event. During the competition, students were tested in seven content areas: economics, art, literature, mathematics, science, social science and music. In addition, students earned points individually in three communication events: public speaking, personal interview and written essay. The program is unique because each nine-member team is made up of three “A,” or Honor students; three “B,” or Scholastic students; and three “C,” or Varsity students. Each year the program features a different overall curriculum topic. Africa was this year’s topic.
On Saturday afternoon, students participated in the exciting Super Quiz, during which team members competed in a quiz bowl format, keying in answers to questions. Paul Milliken of Fox 5 News served as Master of Ceremonies for this event. During the GAD Awards Banquet, Parkview High School was announced as this year’s Super Quiz Champion. Catoosa County’s Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School, won First Runner-up honors, with Richmond County’s A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet School named as Second Runner-up.
The Professional Association of Georgia Educators honors outstanding students and educators and encourages academic excellence through competitive academic initiatives such as PAGE STAR, the PAGE Academic Bowl for Middle Grades and the PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon.
Caption: The 2018 PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon State Champion Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School team members and their coaches are pictured here following their awards presentation: (seated, l-r) Zach Carter, Jewel Okoronkwo, Kristina Arp, Chelsea Price and Red Follett; (back row, l-r) Coach Ian Beck, Coach Lisa Beck, John Christopher, Nicholas Goodale, Jacob Elliott and Jae Lee (not pictured, Coach Jessica Chandler).
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The Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) is a statewide professional association of more than 97,000 educators, administrators and support personnel. PAGE provides professional learning to enhance competence and confidence, build leadership and increase student achievement while providing the best in membership, legal services and legislative support.
Professional Association of Georgia Educators
PO Box 942270
Atlanta, GA 31141-2270
770-216-8555 / 800-334-6861