Results of WYSE Academic Challenge Sectional at McKendree University
(LEBANON, Ill., March 9, 2015) — Students from 26 southwestern Illinois high schools
competed in the Illinois Sectional Tournament of the 2015 Worldwide Youth in Science
and Engineering (WYSE) Academic Challenge, held on March 9 at McKendree University.
The top school teams in each of four divisions, based on enrollment size, were Edwardsville
High School, Salem Community High School, Bond County Community High School and Governor
French Academy.
Student participants came from Althoff, Belleville West, Bond County (Greenville),
Central Community (Breese), Centralia, Christ Our Rock Lutheran (Centralia), Collinsville,
Columbia, Dupo, Edwardsville, Freeburg, Gibault (Waterloo), Governor French Academy
(Belleville), Lebanon, Marissa, Mascoutah, Mater Dei (Breese), Nashville, O’Fallon,
Okawville, Red Bud, Salem, Sandoval, South Central (Farina), Triad, Waterloo and Wesclin.
The Academic Challenge tests high school students in seven subjects. Competing individually
and on school teams, students are tested on 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 from Governor French, Gibault, Bond County, Red Bud, Salem, Mascoutah, Edwardsville
and O’Fallon, as well as almost 50 students, have advanced to the state finals in
Champaign, Ill.
This is the 12th year that McKendree University has hosted the competition. Dr. Jim Feher, professor
of computer science and computer information systems, chairs the WYSE advisory board.
“It’s fantastic to give recognition to so many outstanding young students for their
achievement in the STEM areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics,"
he said.
McKendree-bound seniors who attend one of the university’s scholarship events and
also place in the top three in their school’s division at the WYSE Academic Challenge
are eligible for academic scholarships.
WYSE’s purpose is to advance excellence in science and mathematics and to promote
careers in engineering and the sciences.
-McK-
