CDO academic team is fourth-best in the nation
Canyon del Oro High School's Academic Decathlon team scored a top five finish at the United States Academic Decathlon Nationals Competition last month in Memphis.
Canyon del Oro finished fourth in the nation behind high schools from California, Wisconsin and Nebraska, respectively.
The national competition was held April 22-25.
The team also was the third-place team among Division 1 teams.
The team qualified for nationals by winning the state competition in March.
The nine-person team consisted of Melinda Fraser, Benjamin Ferell, Taylor Cleland, Marie Clymer, Jennifer Wendel, Ellie Strasser, Dylan Ousley, Rush Moore and Jordan Kurker-Mraz.
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Canyon del Oro math teacher Chris Yetman coaches the team.
Ferell and Kurker-Mraz both earned the third-highest scores among all the Division I students. Ferell competed in the honors category and Kurker-Mraz competed in the varsity category at the event.
As individuals, six of the students medaled in the finals.
Fraser received a silver in art. Ferell received a gold in math and bronze medals in art, literature and ten-event.
Kurker-Mraz earned gold in art and essay, silvers in social science and super quiz and bronze in ten-event.
Cleland earned a silver in social science and bronzes in art and math.
Wendel scored gold in interview and Moore scored silver in social science.
For their efforts, Kurker-Mraz won $3,500 in scholarship money and Ferell earned $1,000.
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords recognized the team's accomplishments Friday at Canyon del Oro, 25 W. Calle Concordia.
Giffords entered a statement into Congressional Record recognizing the team's success.
Sonoran students win medals at fair
Five students from Sonoran Science Academy competed in the International Sustainable World (Energy, Engineering and Environment) Project Olympiad last month in Houston.
Also known as I-SWEEEP, the event, which was held April 15-20, is a science fair focusing on energy, engineering and environment.
Eighth-graders Joshua Sloane, Ostin Zarse and Stanley Palasek displayed projects at the event as did sixth-grader Bogdan Racolta and 10th-grader Kelsey Waite.
Only 450 projects from 60 different countries were entered into the international science fair. Racolta, Palasek and Waite received bronze medals for their projects. In addition to medals, Racolta and Palasek each received a $200 prize and Waite received $500.
Sloane's and Zarse's joint project earned them an honorable mention and $100.
