The Adair County academic teams are on their way to championship status again this year.
ACHS ACADEMIC TEAM
The Adair County High School Academic team won its 7th Governor’s Cup District Championship on Saturday in Russell County.
The academic team won first place in both Quick Recall and Future Problem Solving competitions and had the most students out of any school to qualify for the regional written assessment competition.
They won five first place positions in the written assessment categories.
Senior Eddie Franklin won first place in both social studies and math. Senior Kyle Mann won first place in science. Junior Heather Jackson won first place in language arts and arts and humanities.
Other individual winners are freshman Anna Parson, third place in language arts; freshman Landon Coomer, fourth place in composition; sophomore Matt Rogers, fourth place in language arts and arts and humanities; junior Cody Giles, fifth place in social studies; senior Jesse Woods, fifth in math; Jessi Taylor, fifth place in composition.
The academic team had more freshmen place in individual competitions than they have ever had.
“There is a lot of solid work going on with our underclassmen,” said coach Brett Reliford. “Most of our team’s freshmen in the past haven’t gotten a chance to compete until battling through the high standards upperclassmen set ahead of them, but I am very pleased with where this group has progressed in just this short amount of time. It takes a lot to reach the top, but if this group will commit to the program like previous students have, I see nothing but good things heading their way as well.”
Reliford said this year’s win is even more special because the team lost several critical members of the team.
“I am thrilled that today’s leaders have had their chance to shine and let everyone know that they had no intentions of missing a step from where previous teams have left off,” said Reliford. “Our first place winners from this year have been very good for a long while, which is evident with results from the past couple of years. A lot of times, the only people outscoring them were their own teammates who have now graduated, so I’m proud that they have fought so hard to get their names at the top of this year’s list of awards and to keep the program’s prestige.”
Quick Recall team members are seniors Eddie Franklin and Kyle Mann, junior Heather Jackson and sophomore Matt Rogers.
Future Problem Solving members that competed in the event are juniors Emmalee Baker and Roslin Wilson, sophomore Kyle Castaneda and freshman Sarah McQuaide.
Other FPS members are sophomores Abby Walker, Alison Feese, Leane Blackwelder and freshmen Amber Turner, Timothy Watson, Katherine Blackwelder, Brittany Curry, Alan Godsey and Laura Akin.
The academic team will compete in the regional competition in Bowling Green on Feb. 14 and Feb. 18.
ACMS ACADEMIC TEAM
The Adair County Middle School Academic team won 1st place in the Future Problem Solving competition in the Governor’s Cup District Championship on Jan. 21.
FPS team members are Hannah Burnett, Lauren McQuaide, Rebecca Montgomery and Tierra Holmes.
The ACMS Quick Recall team won third place. Team members are Montgomery, Eli Jackson, Zane Sanders, McGregor Scott, Grant Cockerham, Bo Harrison, Tyler Moore, Dillan Pendleton, Shelby Smith, Wes Stone, Amber Curry and Trayton Grant.
Five students placed in the written assessment competitions. Jackson placed second in math and third in arts and humanities. Cockerham placed fourth in social studies. In science, Sanders placed first and Moore placed fifth. Montgomery placed second in composition.
The FPS and Quick Recall teams competed in the regional competition on Tuesday at Monroe County Middle School, but results will not be announced until Saturday. Students who placed in the written assessment competition will also compete on Saturday.
The state championship is March 10-12.
