DPS students shine at the National Academic Games Olympics

Friday, May 19, 2006

Seventy DPS students from seven elementary, middle and high schools won first place in 25 team and 20 individual events at the recently concluded National Academic Games Olympics.

The subjects covered in the 40th annual competition, which was held in Eatonton, Georgia, included mathematics, language arts, social studies, and symbolic logic. DPS has competed in the National Academic Games Olympics since 1977.

The levels of competition ranged from 5th grade - 12th grade. Representing the District were students from Cass Technical High School, Kettering High School, Bates Academy, Schulze Elementary, Vernor Elementary, Thurgood Marshall Elementary, and Hutchins Middle School.

In the individual category, Cass Technical High School’s Nicole Johnson took home the Leslie Neilson $6,000 scholarship. Kettering High School’s Byron Conway, a senior, was voted the Most Outstanding Senior, while Bates Academy’s Arella Damaris took home the Sweepstakes, a coveted award given to the student who gets the highest overall score during the competition.  Team Sweepstakes were won in the middle school division by Bates Academy and at the senior level by Cass Technical High School.

DPS students swept the Olympics in mathematics at all levels. At the elementary level, the Thurgood Marshall team won the national championships in Equations, On-Sets, and Overall Mathematics.  Vernor Elementary School won the championship in Wff’N Proof.  At the middle level, Bates Academy are national champions of Equations, Wff’N Proof and Overall Mathematics.  Hutchins Middle School are champions for the game of On-Sets.  At the junior and senior levels, teams from Cass Technical High School won the national championships in Equations, On-Sets, Wff’N Proof and Overall Mathematics..  

In other news, students from Renaissance High School distinguished themselves at the Academic Games Leagues of America tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina. The school’s senior division team won the national championship in Linguishtiks. Maurice White won the individual championship in Linguishtiks. He also won the Outstanding Senior Leadership Award.

“This is a big feather in the cap for the Detroit Public Schools and for this city,” said William F. Coleman III, superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools system. “I’ve been beaming with pride ever since the students and their coaches returned with their trophies. Their achievement demonstrates vividly that our students are among the best in the country. It shows that they can compete at any level against the brightest and most gifted because our students are the brightest and most gifted.

“I wish to congratulate the students, their teachers, their parents, principals and coaches on this hard fought victory. I also wish to congratulate Dr. Nancy Varner, Dr. Ann Smith, Dr. Juanita Clay Chambers and the others in the Office of Academic Affairs who worked diligently to make this happen. Working together, you’ve made all of us proud.”

Share |