GCA is Academic Challenge Bowl champs

Coach Susan S. Pajarillaga, left, joins members of Team Grace Christian Academy for a group photo after winning the 14th Annual CNMI Academic Bowl Challenge held last Saturday at the Saipan Southern High School’s cafeteria. (Jon Perez)

Grace Christian Academy bested 13 other middle schools to rule the 14th Annual CNMI Academic Challenge Bowl held last Saturday at the Saipan Southern High School’s cafeteria.

SSHS’ National Honor Society organizes the Academic Challenge Bowl for middle schools, while Marianas High School hosts the elementary division.

GCA made it to the finals after being one of the three teams that finished on top following the morning’s elimination round. The top three schools battle it out for the championship round.

Each team consists of five members with three assigned to compete and two as alternates. Substitutions are allowed but only after each round and coaches are given two minutes to decide if they would make changes.

Dandan Middle School and Hopwood Junior High School joined GCA in the finals where three representatives from each school were peppered by 140 questions ranging from easy to hard.

Every correct answer the easy round is worth 5 points, medium 10 points, and hard 15 points.

The questions came from subjects in art, computers, current events, English, history, mathematics, physical education, science, and social studies. Teams are given a longer time limit when solving math problems.

Dandan and Hopwood changed one of their teammates, while GCA opted to stick with the trio of Arvin Dayao, Jabez Victoria, and Harry Noh in the finals.

GCA trio collected 980 points, while Hopwood finished second with 905 points and Dandan was third with 830 points.

GCA coach Susan S. Pajarillaga, who is also the vice principal of the school, said they only had two weeks to form the team.

“We were invited last December when Karen [Echon] asked if we wanted to join, we said yes. But it was only two weeks that we managed to form the team,” Pajarillaga said. “We chose the members of the team based on the subjects where they are good at.”

“To God be the glory. We return everything to him these are talented kids but with prayers and God’s help we won,” added the visibly ecstatic Pajarillaga.

Seventh grader Elijah Joshua Pajarillaga and sixth grader Miku Kimura were the other members of the team. They took care of sports and physical education and social studies and English, respectively.

Victoria an eighth grader, handled social studies and current events questions, while Dayao, aside from English, was also in charge of answering questions about computers. Noh, also an eighth grader like Dayao and Victoria, took care of science and math.

Xue Zhen Quin, Kennedy Vila, Glen Matalog, Joel Pagcaliwagan, and Microl Chen are all eight graders at Hopwood and coached by Sharleen Crisostimo, while Grace Zhang, Cody Escoto, Rej De Leon, and Rio Ayu Shadow are the members of DMS with James Montenegro and Rachel Reyes as coaches.

Agape Christian School, Chacha Ocean View Junior High School, Green Meadows School, Marianas Baptist Academy, Mt. Carmel School, Northern Marianas International School, Rita Hocog Inos Junior High School, Saipan Community School, Saipan International School, San Antonio Middle School, and Tinian Junior High School were the other competing teams.