Saturday was a big day for academic contestants in Arizona, from future engineers to spellers and other creative thinkers.
At the Arizona State Spelling Bee in Phoenix, Jonathan Horton, an eighth-grader at East Valley Christian Home Educators in Tempe, won his third straight state spelling title.
Organizers said he won in the 23rd round on the word munificence, a noun meaning a giving or bestowing with lavish generosity.
He beat out 26 other students, including Pima County's Jessica Nairn, a seventh-grader at Desert Sky Middle School, and Nicole Rapatan, an eighth-grader at Sonoran Science Academy.
MESA Day at UA
Also Saturday, MESA (Mathematic, Engineering, Science Achievement) Day was held at the University of Arizona. The middle-school results, according to organizers:
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Multi-task trebuchet: First, Amphi; second, Challenger; third, Carson.
Cargo bottle rocket: First, Sierra students Tyler Rennie, Kayla Velasquez and Jennifer Schmidt; second, Amphi's Victoria Lopez, Richie Holdcroft and Tommy Manley; third, Safford's Robert Codona, Kelli McIntyre and Zechariah Jahi.
Hit the target laser challenge: First, Maxwell's Nick Compoy, Jacob De La Rosa and Ezzy Chavez; second, Amphi's Aaron Rascon, Samuel Anerson and Adrian Lucers; third, Lauffer's Yenifer Vargas, Savannah Sanchez, Juan Roland and Rachel Curvita.
On-site engineering design: First, Roskruge; second, Lauffer; third, Chaparral.
Roller-coaster run: First, Maxwell; second, Amphi; third, Booth-Fickett; fourth, Safford; fifth, Roskruge; sixth, Valencia.
Science model: groundwater flow: First, Peoria (no student names provided); second, Challenger's Jessica Sandoval, Luis Borboa, Iliana Marroquin and Leanna Watts; third, Roskruge's Yesenia Storm, Sophia Martin-Sanchez, Jennica Schoppenhorst and Arlene Leon.
World series of college admissions (middle school): First, Safford's Daniel Teran, Robert Cota, Kelli McIntrye and Claudia Burrola; second, Peoria (names not provided); third, Booth-Fickett's Sean Rio, Kristin Childs, Megan Foley and Aleex Morgan.
Southern Arizona Language Fair
Nearly 2,000 students from more than 30 Arizona schools competed in the Southern Arizona Language Fair at the UA on Saturday.
The annual event, organized by the College of Humanities, included competitions in American Sign Language, Arabic, Chinese, English as a Second Language, French, German, Korean, Latin, Persian, Russian, Spanish and Turkish.
Students gave dramatic presentations, read poetry and prose, danced, played game and exhibited art.
Odyssey of the Mind
The Odyssey of the Mind state tournament was also held in Tucson Saturday for academic problem-solving and creative thinking. The Tucson-area winners, as provided by organizers:
Tag 'em Div. I: second place, Casas Christian School; sixth place, Painted Sky Elementary.
Tag 'em Div. II: first, Magee Middle School; fifth, Cross Middle School.
The Large and Small of It Div. I: first, Catalina Foothills Community Schools; third, Walker Elementary.
The Large and Small of It Div. II: first, Magee Middle School; fifth, La Cima Middle.
Around the World in 8 Minutes, Div. I: fifth, Coyote Trail Elementary; sixth, Nash Elementary.
Around the World in 8 Minutes, Div. II: first, Magee Middle; second, Cross Middle.
Around the World in 8 Minutes, Div. III: first, Sabino High; sixth, Cienega High.
Out of the Box Balsa Div. I: first, Painted Sky Elementary; third, Casas Christian School.
Out of the Box Balsa Div. II: first, Sierra Vista Program B; fourth, Casas Christian School.
Out of the Box Balsa Div. III: first, Sierra Vista Program A.
I'm Only Thinking of You, Div. I: first, Painted Sky Elementary; fifth, Copper Creek Elementary.
I'm Only Thinking of You Div. II: second, Magee Middle; seventh, Cross Middle.
I'm Only Thinking of You Div. III: first, Canyon del Oro High.
