Sierra High Freshmen Take on the World
Team Sierra Heads to Stockholm for Global Round of The World Scholar’s Cup
After raking in 20 medals in San Francisco, three Sierra High freshmen are gearing up for their next academic adventure: a competition in Stockholm, Sweden! This is where the next round of The World Scholar’s Cup will be held and is the gateway to their ultimate goal – the Tournament of Champions held at Yale University.
The World Scholar’s Cup is a non-traditional academic competition that celebrates the joy of learning. Last year, Miles Lima and Colin Nguyen, along with an out-of-district teammate, competed in the cup for the first time. While they qualified to the global round in Australia, forces outside of their control prevented them from competing. But that setback did not discourage them.
This year, Miles and Colin are competing again, joined by new teammate Douglas Tipton. “Colin first asked me to join the team after a debate about AI in my computer science class,” Douglas shared. “I was hesitant at first as, honestly, the commitment to the team was intimidating.”
When asked how they prepared, Miles was blunt: “In short, months of studying.” Douglas elaborated on their study sessions, “Our group organized meeting times that squeezed into our tight schedules. We would call on Google Meet and go over sections of the study guide.”
After thrice weekly two-hour study sessions, independent outside reading, and debate practice, their hard work paid off at the San Francisco regional round. The Timberwolves finished in 4th place out of 50 teams competing! Among other accolades, they earned a silver medal in the Scholar’s Bowl (a race-against-the clock- group quiz), and gold medals in debate and the Scholar’s Challenge (a unique multiple-choice test). Miles himself ranked 4th individually out of 150 participants!
The experience is about more than just academics. “I would definitely say the community aspect is the most rewarding part of participation,” Miles said. “I enjoy meeting other similarly minded students and look forward to the opportunity to do this in Sweden.”
Douglas meanwhile is feeling ambitious ahead of the global round in July, “I want to walk into the Stockholm event and take complete control of the competition.”
Learn more about Team Sierra in this Manteca Bulletin article! The team has also set up a GoFundMe account here to help fundraise for their journey to Stockholm.
- Sierra High
- Student Achievement