GCA Eagles soar high in competitions

Like their younger schoolmates in Kinder to 5th grades who won in Primary Grades Forensic Conference PGFC, Grace Christian Academy’s middle and senior high school students soared high in different competitions last month. They showed excellence in academics, forensic arts, and theater arts in island-wide competitions.

Grace Christian Academy’s 6th through 8th graders soared the highest when they emerged as Academic Challenge Bowl champion this school year. The five-member GCA team was composed of 6th grader Miku Kimura, 7th grader Elijah Joshua Pajarillaga, and 8th graders Arvin Dayao, Harry Noh, and Lanz Jabez Victoria. They finished with a total of 980 points. The team members, along with their coach, Susan Pajarillaga, were awarded individual medals, gift certificates, and certificates of recognition.

Organized by the Saipan Southern High School’s National Honor Society, the event marked the 14th year the Academic Bee Challenge in middle school was held in the CNMI. Held last Saturday, Jan. 30, at SSHS cafeteria; the competition brought together 70 contenders from 14 schools from both public and private schools in the CNMI. The competition, conceptualized locally for schools in the CNMI, aims to promote better learning among students in different subjects like English, Mathematics, Art, Computers, Science, Social Studies, Physical Education, and current events.

Harry Noh also won 4th place among 27 mathletes in the final round of middle school Mathcourt statewide competition which was held also at Saipan Southern High School last Saturday. This makes Noh qualified to be one of the four-member Team CNMI that will compete in the national competition in San Francisco, California in March.

All of the thirteen 6th to 8th graders who competed in the National Junior Speech Debate Association (NJSDA) last Jan. 23 won at least one of the events they joined. All of them are qualified to join the regional competition this month.

For the higher grades, GCA’s National Senior Debate Association, four competitors also won first place in most of the events they joined.

In Senior Thespians, Paula Rose Talibong won first place for the second time in solo musical theater event. She is qualified to join the regional competition this Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016.

The administration, faculty and staff, and parents of Grace Christian Academy are very proud of each student and would like to extend their congratulations to the following winners and everyone who participated in these island-wide competitions. Beth Ann Nunez, GCA principal, is so proud of all the effort of the students and grateful to all the coordinators and coaches.
Below is the list of all the GCA winners in the middle and senior high school island wide competitions in January.

CNMI ACADEMIC CHALLENGE BOWL (6TH-8TH GRADE)
Miku Kimura, 1st Place
Joshua Elijah Pajarillaga, 1st Place
Arvin Dayao, 1st Place
Hyun In Harry Noh, 1st Place
Lanz Jabez Victoria, 1st Place
Coach: Mrs. Susan Pajarillaga

MATHCOURT STATEWIDE COMPETITION
(6TH-8TH GRADE)
Hyun In Harry Noh, 4th Place, member of the CNMI Team in the national competition
Mathcourt Coordinator/Coach: Mrs. Susan Pajarillaga

NJSDA
(6TH-8TH GRADE)
Lincoln Douglas Debate
Hyun In Harry Noh, 2nd Place

Extemporaneous Speech A
Hyun In Noh, 1st Place
Arvin Dayao, 2nd Place
Lanz Jabez Victoria, 5th Place

Impromptu Speech A
Maria Elizabeth Bonto, 1st Place
James Alexander Keaton, 3rd Place
Jimin Woo, 5th Place

Impromptu Speech D
Arvin Dayao, 1st Place
Christy Lee, 2nd Place
Tae Yong Kim, 4th Place

Impromptu Speech E
Lanz Jabez Victoria, 1st Place
Clerisse Dacumos, 4th Place
Martin Pangilinan, 5th Place

Poetry Reading Masters B
Alice Kim, 1st Place

Poetry Reading Masters C
Christy Lee, 1st Place

Poetry Reading Masters D
Tae Yong Kim, 1st Place
Prose Reading Masters B
Christy Lee, 3rd Place
Jimin Woo, 5th Place

Prose Reading
Masters C
Kaydie Claude, 3rd Place
Prose Reading Masters D
Joyce Liv Francisco, 4th Place
Tae Yong Kim, 5th Place

Duo Interpretation B
Lanz Jabez Victoria, 5th Place
Kaydie Claude Aquino, 5th Place

NSDA
(9TH-12TH GRADE)
Dramatic Interpretation A
Yujin Lee, 1st Place

Dramatic Interpretation A
Anjenette Jewel Cubangbang, 5th Place

Expository Speech
Minna Ito,1st Place
Original Oratory B
Minna Ito,1st Place

Original Oratory C
Melody Sumin Woo, 4th Place

Poetry Reading Masters A
Yujin Lee, 1st Place

Poetry Reading Masters B
Melody Sumin Woo,1st Place
Prose Reading Masters A
Yujin Lee, 1st Place

Prose Reading
Masters B
Minna Ito, 1st Place
NJSDA/NSDA Coach/Coordinator: Miss Grace Duran

SENIOR THESPIANS (9TH-12THGRADE)
Solo Musical Theater
Paula Rose Talibong, 1st Place
Competition Registrar: Mrs. Esther Manzano
Competition Judges: Pastor Daniel Dilse, Mrs. Miriam Dilse, Miss Laila Portuguez (PR)