On March 2, the San Diego World Affairs Council (SDWAC) hosted the annual Academic WorldQuest (AWQ) Competition, a program that offers a fun, fast-paced team competition for high school students that tests players’ knowledge of current international politics, geography, global economics, history, and world cultures.
The winning high school team has the opportunity to represent San Diego in the National Academic WorldQuest Competition, sponsored by the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA), that takes place in Washington, D.C. in April.
The El Capitan High School (ECHS) team won the local competition by only one point, beating out long-time local winners from Canyon Crest High School.
The El Capitan High School (ECHS) Academic WorldQuest winning team was Amanda Ta, Peter Tarpley, Noah Seeno, and Miranda Cambell Vargas. Their student advisor is ECHS AP History teacher Abigail Anders.
Many of the team members from El Capitan are part of ECHS’s Global Language & Leadership Program (GLLP) which provides an innovative and rigorous course of study for students who are interested in further developing their world language proficiencies in high school. Their goal is to provide a dynamic, international perspective to students who wish to pursue language immersion education following their participation in local K-8 immersion programs. El Capitan High School offers a flexible choice of AP courses and content classes in both Spanish and Mandarin.
Anders stated, “My goal with running the WorldQuest club is just to bring a global mindset to the wider school. As a club, we have been meeting once a week after school to read related articles and present to each other in preparation for the yearly Academic WorldQuest Competition. The topics are difficult and require a lot of discussion surrounding the context and implications of global affairs, but the students have fun with it and have a great sense of humor. I am so proud of all of them.”
Ta, a senior, serves as vice-president of student-led nonprofit organization “The Ground Up Project” where she established and maintains their website to increase awareness of ongoing community clothing, food, and toy drives (thegroundupproj.org) and has helped facilitate distributions totaling over 1,900+ pounds of supplies and donatable items to various charities and organizations, including a partnership with a second student-led humanitarian project to send menstrual products to refugee camps in Bangladesh. She is also an active participant in the ECHS Art Club and Book Club.
Seeno, a sophomore, is a member of El Capitan Robotics Club, the ECHS International Club, the Student Senate, the JustServe volunteering club and the Staump Music School Advanced Rock Band. He actively volunteers with Balboa Park’s House of China and at Alpine Community Center in addition to his involvement in GLLP program.
Tarpley is a junior and serves as the captain of Team A in the ECHS VEX Robotics Club and ambassador in the Student Exchange Program. He volunteers in day camps at the Salvation Army Kroc Center, serves in the Student Site Council, an AV technician at his local church, and a GLLP leader in addition to his pursuits in varsity tennis and piano practice.
Cambell Vargas, a sophomore, is a member of the Beach Cleanup Club, the Student Exchange Program, the Junior Dance Company (proudly accumulating over nine years dance experience), with additional hobbies including her involvement in the varsity golf program.
To donate to the team’s trip, visit: https://sdwac.org/Donate.
(Courtesy image)
