Five seventh graders at The Healdsburg School have made the finals of the World Scholar’s Cup after scoring highly in a round of the academic competition in Athens, Greece.
Sasha Gallard, Kaylin Smith, Eliot Gomez, Alex Cyphers and Aubrey Elder will be moving on to the Tournament of Champions round Nov. 9 through 14 at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. More than 12,000 students from around the world compete in the annual competition that consists of four events: debate, a quiz show, a collaborative essay and a multiple choice test.
“I have been so thrilled to see students take to the event with an authentic passion for and joy in learning and developing key academic skills, such as writing and public speaking. It’s been extremely rewarding for me to watch these students’ confidence grow with each event.” said Micah Price, a social studies teacher who started the World Scholar’s Cup club at The Healdsburg School last year.
The independent K-8 school had 24 students participate in the World Scholar’s Cup program, all performing extremely well at the Northern California regional round in San Jose in April. The Healdsburg School sent eight students to the Global Round in Athens in July, where Gallard, Cyphers, Gomez, Smith and Elder qualified for the finals.
The Global Round in Athens hosted teams from 42 different countries. Gallard, 11, said It was definitely more challenging than the regional round in San Jose.
“I was super glad that our team had prepared in the months leading up to it,” she said. “Our team’s positive energy and support of one another were big factors in our success.”
The students said the trip to Greece was a memorable experience.
“My favorite part going to the global round was meeting new people from around the world and getting to learn more about their different cultures. I especially enjoyed meeting our new teammate Liam who was from Prague. I now have a friend in the Czech Republic,” said Eliot Gomez, age 12.
The seventh graders are looking forward to the final round of competition and will be preparing this fall for a successful event at Yale.
“I think the best thing about the World Scholar’s Cup is learning how important it is to work together as a team as well as to be independent,” said Elder, 12. “Athens was an amazing experience where I met students from around the world. I felt lucky. Because of our work together we were able to qualify for Yale. We are definitely going to study a ton more.”
Clubs like the World Scholar’s Cup are part of The Healdsburg School’s commitment to the development of the whole child, including introducing students to the global community and their place in the world.
“Being a part of the global community, collaborating, and utilizing critical thinking, are the keys to the future job market, and programs like the World Scholar’s Cup help our students practice those skills while having a lot of fun.” said Dr. Nicholas Egan, head of The Healdsburg School.
— submitted by Nicholas Egan
