Yesterday, West Boca took 4th place in Palm Beach County’s Commissioner’s Academic Challenge Finals, competing against five other top South Florida schools. This is after a strong 2nd place finish in the preliminary round two weeks prior!
The Commissioner’s Academic Challenge is “a showcase of Florida’s high school academic excellence” with teams competing from school districts across Florida. In a quiz-bowl style, teams are given a set time to answer questions, and the fastest wins! Questions span many academic topics, such as language arts, math, science, social studies, and world languages.
Teams consist of six students each with a specialized area of study, such as humanities, science, or math. This year, West Boca had the youngest team, with five members being juniors! The team was led by senior Sophia DiConza, and supported by juniors Alexandra Falvella, Conrad Hillier, Lauren Cavanagh, Kristen Cavanagh, and Sofia Sierra. Each student was chosen for their prospective focus by their teachers.
On Friday, February 9th, West Boca competed against Spanish River High and Atlantic High. Throughout the three tense rounds, West Boca came out in 2nd, advancing to the Finals on Tuesday, February 27th.
With heavy competition and a narrow finish, West Boca came in fourth. First place was taken by the Spanish River Sharks, 2nd by Willam T. Dywer, 3rd by Olympic Heights, 5th by Dreyfoos, and 6th by Boca High.
Alexandra Falvella, an experienced historian for her age, was selected for Palm Beach County’s “A Team”. The A Team is a team composed of the highest scorers from Palm Beach high schools, chosen to represent Palm Beach County at the state-wide Commissioner’s Academic Challenge in Orlando, Florida in April. Give her your congratulations!
