COLLEGE PARK, Md. – A “brain fart” over a final history question sparked anguished cries from Katherine York and chuckles from the audience attending the 7th annual Scholastic Olympics Saturday (5/6) at the College Park Aviation Museum.
The Eleanor Roosevelt High School senior grabbed her head in despair when moderator Mark Naydan, a social studies teacher at Northwestern High School, intoned: “Who was the Vice President under Barack Obama?”
York whispered to herself, “You know this,” as a competing student buzzed in and blurted, “Joe Biden.”
Despite the mental lapse, York won first place in the U.S. History competition to claim the $500 prize and gold medal. Another Roosevelt senior, Dagmawi Sirak, took the $300 second-place prize and silver medal. Daisy Noel Ndofor of Largo won third place, $200 and the bronze medal.
In addition to the U.S. history contest, the Scholastic Olympics competitions include a Jeopardy-style math-a-thon, a traditional spelling bee and a speech/oratory contest. The 2017 history competition was unique because the High Bridge Foundation, Inc. partnered with Scholastic Olympics and funded the category. Foundation President Mayumi Hairston Escalante and Mencie Y. Hairston, M.Ed, founder and executive director, presented checks to the first, second and third-place winners.
High Bridge is a nonprofit organization focused on empowering young people from underserved communities in the Metro Washington. Mencie Hairston established High Bridge Foundation with her husband, Dr. Ernest E. Hairston, in February, 2012. The organization is most known for its scholarship program, which has awarded $27,500 in scholarships to high school graduates from underserved communities – new immigrants, adoptees, disabled persons and others – to support their post-secondary education in trade schools, community college, colleges or universities.
Scholastic Olympic organizers, Tamara M. Cooke Henry, Ph.D., and her daughters, Tiffany and Charisse, are Prince George’s County residents who have a Memorandum of Understanding with the Prince George’s County Public Schools, and are working in collaboration with Parks & Recreation M-NCPPC.
HERE ARE THE COMPLETE RESULTS:
| SPEECH | SPELLING | U.S. HISTORY | MATH |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Place Caleb Clark, homeschooled | 1st Place Marvellous Ogunsola, Roosevelt freshman | 1st Place Katherine York, Roosevelt senior | 1st Place Rekik Ziku, Northwestern sophomore |
| 2nd Place Jordan Epps, Roosevelt senior | 2nd Place Sarah Awang, Parkdale sophomore | 2nd Place Dagmawi Sirak, Roosevelt senior | 2nd Place Alexander Rauda, Parkdale senior |
| 3rd Place Dagmawi Sirak, Roosevelt senior | 3rd Place Linda Uzoma, Flowers junior | 3rd Place Daisy Noel Ndofor, Largo | 3rd Place Linda Uzoma, Flowers junior |
