Mesa Mountain View High Claims National Team Title During US Finals of
World Scholar’s Cup

Canyon Del Oro Finishes 3rd;
Story of School’s Triumph being told through Arizona Public Schools Making a Difference Every Day Campaign

MESA – May 19, 2008 – Mesa Mountain View High School has claimed a national championship, winning the US National Finals of the World Scholars Cup during the April 21 competition at Oro Valley’s Canyon Del Oro High School.

Twenty-two teams from four states met in the competition, with Mountain View edging Cinco Ranch High School in Katy, Texas, for the overall championship, scoring 16,055 out of a possible 20,000 points. Third-place honors went to the host school, Canyon Del Oro.

Mountain View sophomore John Ernzen was the overall individual high scorer, with 8,291 out of a possible 10,000 points. The four-student team of Ernzen, senior Daniel Throckmorton, sophomore Alice Lin and junior Matt Gingerall won 23 medals, plaques and trophies overall.

"They are dedicated and hard-working students," said Mountain View Coach James Epley.

Mountain View competed against 22 teams from Arizona, California, Texas and Mississippi. Categories included art, literature, history, science, economics, math and debate in essay, speech and quiz-show formats.

Eleven teams earned berths at the World Finals, which will be held at the YBM English Village in Seoul, South Korea, May 31-June 1. They will compete against teams from Australia, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and India.

In the World Scholar's Cup, three-person teams compete in four events at national and regional meets to qualify for the World Finals. Students write essays, debate topics related to the curriculum, take a challenging multiple choice exam and work together to answer questions in a public Scholar's Quiz. The World Scholar's Cup curriculum centers on a different theme each year. The 2007-2008 theme is the Frontier. Middle school competitors studied astronomy and space exploration, the art and film of the frontier, a history of explorers, and the literature of the frontier. The high school competition also included economics and math.

Founded in 2006, the World Scholar's Cup is not about specialization in a single subject; it is about teamwork, thinking on your feet, and a willingness to learn new things. Participants have the opportunity to win both individual and team awards, to bolster their extracurricular records for college and university admissions, and to explore new subjects and skills. But, most importantly, they can forge new contacts around the world and benefit from a unique team-based learning opportunity.