Learners Division Top 5 from left to right: Tyler Bauer, Lenny Frazier, Autumn Higginbotham, Noah Wagner, and Andy Do.
Contributed by St. Bernard Parish Public Schools
Over 200 students from schools across the district recently took part in the last tournament of the year for Academic Games, Equations. This final game of the season had students competing in this game of creative mathematics and problem solving.
In addition to the thrill of the competition, many of these players were also vying to qualify for one of the district’s four national teams, representing the elementary, middle, junior, and senior divisions. These outstanding players will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., in April to compete against teams from across the U.S.
The Equations tournament is the culmination of a five-month season sanctioned by the Academic Games League of America. Throughout the year, players compete in a variety of games, including Propaganda, Presidents, and On-Sets. Scores from each game are tallied and at the end of the season, the players receiving the highest cumulative scores are named as the sweepstakes winners, automatically qualifying for the national tournament.
Representing St. Bernard at this year’s national tournament are the following players:
• Elementary Division National Team — Jack McMullin, Enzo Martin-Verdocie, Yan Lu, Chelsea Netter, London White-Stein, and Bryce Watson.
• Middle Division National Team — Maya Dufrene, Connor Dewey, Christian Miller, Brennyn Holiday, Kevin Roussell, and Jenna Jamhour.
• Junior Division National Team — Selina Li, Kimberly Quintanilla, Elmi Gonzales, Tania White, Trey Meyers, and Nour Abdelhaq.
• Senior Division National Team — Ava Volante, Coby Barrow, Reia Espiritu, Mikylla Maghirang, Brandon Jackson, and Najeeha Kahla.
In preparation for ongoing academic success, the district also hosts a Learners Division for novice players who compete throughout the year. Earning the top five spots are Tyler Bauer, Lenny Frazier, Autumn Higginbotham, Noah Wagner, and Andy Do.
Mary Lumetta, Assistant Superintendent for the district and one of the organizers of the games, said this year’s season was successful due to the hard work and dedication of the school sponsors as well as the district staff.
“We are so proud of the teamwork that enabled us to provide this experience for so many of our students,” Lumetta said. “It’s been a rewarding, competitive season, and we are so proud of all of our coaches and players.”
Lumetta also said the new venue for this year’s tournaments was a wonderful environment for the players.
“Hosting the tournaments at the Maumus Center proved to be beneficial this year,” Lumetta said. “Having separate spaces for each division allowed everyone to work at their own pace. We really appreciate the efforts of Gena Asevado in organizing our tournaments and all of our coaches and volunteers for their hard work throughout the year.”
Lumetta was also quick to credit the long-time sponsor for Academic Games — Chalmette Refining, LLC. “We are so thankful for the continued support of Chalmette Refining who make the local and national competition possible. Their financial support gives our students the opportunity to compete against some of the brightest students in the nation. We know our teams will make them and our community proud.”
