St. Louis Schools Compete in WYSE Math-Science Challenge

Lebanon, Ill. — More than 150 of the best and brightest students from eight Missouri high schools crossed the river to compete in the St. Louis regional tournament of the Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering (WYSE) Academic Challenge, hosted by McKendree University on Feb. 11. Clayton High School took top team honors in the large school division and Trinity Catholic High School won the small school division.

This is the seventh year that McKendree has hosted the annual competition. Participating high schools were Clayton, Hancock, Incarnate Word, Maplewood-Richmond Heights, St. Charles, St. Joseph’s, Trinity Catholic and Visitation.

"I always look forward to this time of year, when we can bring such bright students to campus for our Academic Challenge,”said Dr. Jim Feher, chairman of the WYSE advisory board, and associate professor and associate professor of computer science and computer information systems at McKendree.

WYSE works to advance excellence in science and mathematics and to promote careers in engineering and the sciences. The Academic Challenge is a series of competitive multiple-choice tests in seven subjects, designed to motivate talented and diverse high school students to higher achievement in science and math.

Students are tested as teams and individually in biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering graphics, English, math and physics. Test material is drawn from senior high school and freshman level college curricula and written by college and university faculty. Exams of increasing levels of difficulty are given at the regional, sectional and state finals.

Teams and individuals placing first and second will compete in the Missouri sectionals in March.

McKendree will host more than 300 students at the WYSE Academic Challenge’s Illinois sectional on Mar. 11.

McKendree University ranks among the top 10 percent of "Best Baccalaureate Colleges” in the nation and in the “Great Schools, Great Prices” category by U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges 2010." Founded in 1828, the historic Lebanon, Ill., campus is 25 miles from downtown St. Louis. www.mckendree.edu

Team Photos

Clayton High School

Front row: Paul Lisker, Charles Beard, Kaize Zheng, Ian Miller, Ikshu Neithalath, Chi Zeng;

Center row: YouRan Kim, Augustine Heil, Rebecca Steinberg, Shuyang Li, Meredith Redick;

Back row: Thomas Evashwick, Edward Du, Brett Virgin-Downey, Kevin Matheny, Ali Sehizadeh, Sagar Yadama, Coach Rex Rice.

Hancock High School – Junior Varsity

 

Front row: Tessa LaPlant, Ciara DeClue, Billy Heintzmann;

Back row: Coach Steve Kelly, Emilio Luna, Tim Barton, Frank Phillips.

Hancock High School – Varsity

 

Front row: Alma Beganovic, Amela Alibegovic;

Center row: Bryant Woods, Joy Chapman, Ashley Eldridge, Lisa Rite, Johanna Phillips;

Back row: Keith Jefferson, Dante Johnson, Justin Miller, Josh Goggin, James Walden, Kemal Durakovic, Coach Steve Kelly.

Incarnate Word Academy

 

Front row: Kelsie Howie, Emily O’Brien, Jennifer Flynn;

Center row: Dani Keller, Kelly Gravlin, Jennifer Moldovan, Tori Gambino, Julia Essner;

Back row: Coach Trudy Swan, Nichole Schuler, Hannah Nelson, Katie Fowler, Erica Hughes, Casey Turner, Anna Heithaus, Mr. Gundy.

Maplewood-Richmond Heights High School

 

Front row: Tess Rogers, Abi Ricks, Hannah Dillon, Charles Boclair;

Center row: Kelsey Thompson, Theresa Peterson, Mindy Siebert, Hillary Rhodes, Khemal Johnson;

Back row: Coach Kathleen Dwyer, Alex Boever, Adam Kellerman, Scott Peterson, Devin Ditto, Dominic Campanella.

St. Charles High School – Junior Varsity

 

Front row: Keegan Palmer;

Center row: Philip Rohan, Evan Forbes, Dillon Forbes, Tim Butz, Cody Spradling;

Back row: Shannon Stross, Stephanie Swengrosh, Coach Ellen Zerr, Hannah Slater, Abby Zimpfer.

St. Charles High School – Varsity

 

Front row: Andrew Newman, Curtis Prost, Alex Fritz;

Center row: Tony Nelson, Ron Mays, Joey Jackson, Catherine Gravemann, Lindsey Hester;

Back row: Justus Forbes, Matt Gualdoni, Brian Hermann, Jordan Schlueter, Coach Ellen Zerr, Sean Ross, Joe Buse, Jeremy Pope.

St. Joseph’s Academy

 

Front row: Liz Burns, Stephanie Wehmeier, Shae Oca, Marie Davidson, Maddie Taylor;

Back row: Kathyrn Geoffroy, Grace Robinson, Rosemary Howell, Coach Julie Haddock.

 

Trinity Catholic High School

Front row: Ryan Mircsov, Bola Akinola, Grace Brandon, Rachel Hunt, Keisha Avery, Rachel Toczylowski, Kyle Perez;

Back row: Coach Frank Cange, Tim Fries, Matt Juengst, Brett Turnbough, Dave Reddan, Connor Walsh, Mike Burliner, Aaron Ford, Eric Kassler, Dillon Porzel, John Ernst, Andy Holzum.