Participants prepare to answer questions during their preliminary round during the senior scholastic challenge in the Hiller Auditorium at Penn State DuBois.
DuBOIS, Pa. — Excitement and drama once again filled Hiller Auditorium at Penn State DuBois on March 6 for the 35th annual Senior Scholastic Challenge. Students from six high schools in the region came to the campus to test their knowledge against other students and to see which school would take the top spot at the end of the evening. The competition featured a mix of questions from science, literature, grammar, math, social studies and various other subjects.
Michael Clement, the master of ceremonies, started off the event by welcoming students, team advisors, parents and community members, setting the tone for the evening and explain how the challenge would proceed. Rowan Mattern and Gavin Taylor of Clearfield Area High School led the audience in a rousing rendition of the national anthem, inviting everyone to join them by singing along.
Jungwoo Ryoo, chancellor and chief academic officer at Penn State DuBois, also stepped forward to welcome everyone to the campus and to wish all of the participants the best of luck in the challenge. Holli Lashinsky, interim director of enrollment services, also spoke to everyone to welcome them and to offer insights into everything that Penn State DuBois has to offer.
Competing teams gather for a group photo at the 35th annual Senior Scholastic Challenge, held at Penn State DuBois on March 6.
The participating schools in the challenge were Brockway Area, Brookville Area, Brockway Area, Clearfield Area, DuBois Area, DuBois Central Catholic and St. Marys Area.
The competition comprised four preliminary rounds, each featuring 30 mixed oral questions that tested the students' knowledge across a spectrum of subjects. After a brief intermission, two final rounds were held for the five top teams from the preliminary rounds. Five teams were taken because of a tie for fourth place. Brookville Area, Brockway Area, Clearfield Area, DuBois Area and St. Marys Area advanced to the final rounds.
Each round in the finals consisted of 40 questions with each correct answer earning 10 points and each incorrect answer losing the team five points. After a highly competitive contest all around, Brookville Area claimed first place in the challenge, followed by DuBois Area in second, Brockway Area placed third, Clearfield finished in fourth and St. Marys Area placed fifth.
The sixth-place team from DuBois Central Catholic consisted of team members (students listed in alphabetical):
- Isaac Barber
- Hope Jacob
- Lauren Jenkins
- Antonio Piccirillo
- Westin Youngdahl
- Advisor Andrew Rice
The fifth-place team from St. Marys Area consisted of team members (students listed in alphabetical):
- Kai Caskey
- Andrew Field
- Peyton Kline
- Desirae Mertz
- Louis Nedzinski
- Advisor Jamie Caskey
The fourth-place team from Clearfied Area consisted of team members (students listed in alphabetical):
- Rae Duckett
- Gaicomo Ferri
- Maddy Mackey
- Rowan Mattern
- Gavin Taylor
- Advisor Barb Spila
The third-place team from Brockway Area consisted of team members (students listed in alphabetical):
- Cash Butters
- Phoebe Grieneisen
- Jedidiah Manno
- Tanner Raffeinner
- Abigail Rhed
- Advisor Erin Schiafone
- Advisor Eric Stawecki
The second-place team from DuBois Area consisted of team members (students listed in alphabetical):
- Lauren Kennedy
- Jay Parekh
- Sonia Parekh
- Hannah Rehar
- Michael Stainbrook
- Advisor Chris Taylor
The first-place team from Brookville Area consisted of team members (students listed in alphabetical):
- Egan Dennison
- Henry May
- Sorren Morelli
- Rees Taylor
- Advisor Melinda Reitz
In addition to team place awards, individual performances were also recognized. Henry May of Brookville Area received the award for the top performance in the preliminary rounds, totaling 100 points for his team. Egan Dennison of Brookville Area and Jay Parekh of DuBois Area were also recognized, tying for the second most individual points with 80 points. May also received the top performance award for the final rounds after answering 10 questions correctly. Michael Stainbrook of DuBois Area was also honored for finishing second individually, answering nine questions correctly in the final rounds.
This marked the second time in several weeks that Penn State DuBois played host to a Scholastic Challenge, with the Junior Scholastic Challenge having been held on Feb. 20.
