Academic Challenge Bowl SY2023-2024
Wildcats ACB Team Takes Chicago By Storm
Wildcats ACB Team Takes Chicago By Storm
Wildcats are Academic Challenge Bowl Champions and will compete nationally in Chicago in June
Wildcats are Academic Challenge Bowl Champions and will compete nationally in Chicago in June
Feb. 23, 2024: With just one question, the Luis P. Untalan Middle School Academic Challenge Bowl team beat St. John's School team to win the middle school championship and head to Chicago for the national competition! Congratulations to our hard-working team and advisors who held numerous practices for the past months in preparation for their matches. The championship team and one coach earns a trip to Chicago to compete in the Middle School National Academic Championship in June.
Coach Michelle Cruz said, "Mrs. Gumataotao and I approach ACB with the perspective that we are there not only to compete but to have fun and engage in the joy of learning. Learning that a trip to the national championship was added to the calendar was a surprise to us, but was not our main focus. Of course, I’m sure we all hoped we could prove ourselves and attain that final goal. We just tried to focus on one match at a time, despite having matches scheduled back to back. The tight schedule, tough competition, and the rush to get to the matches on time added to the pressure of doing well."
After the final match against St. John’s, Co-captain Jonathan Flis felt relieved. He said, “During the season, we encountered some pretty challenging teams, so we could never let our guard down, especially with the last game which was the most stressful as both St. John’s and our team were about equally matched. I also think that we have improved quite a bit not only during this season but over the year as a whole.”
Co-captain Kaleb Togawa was confident and said, “I felt like our team was capable of winning this time around and we sure did! Our last game on 2/23/24 was the most challenging one that we faced, and we won by a single question. It truly was a blessing! I also felt super relieved knowing that our public school can still excel in an academic competition with our private school counterparts. We did our absolute best and I’m am so proud of our team.”
Mrs. Cruz added, "As coaches, we were elated and so proud of how well our team performed, especially under the intense pressure and scrutiny they experienced during the last match. We are equally proud of their growth as competitors. We won the final match by one question! And, of course, we are happy to be able to represent LPUMS and GDOE public schools!"
After the final match against St. John’s, Co-captain Jonathan Flis felt relieved. He said, “During the season, we encountered some pretty challenging teams, so we could never let our guard down, especially with the last game which was the most stressful as both St. John’s and our team were about equally matched. I also think that we have improved quite a bit not only during this season but over the year as a whole.”
Co-captain Kaleb Togawa was confident and said, “I felt like our team was capable of winning this time around and we sure did! Our last game on 2/23/24 was the most challenging one that we faced, and we won by a single question. It truly was a blessing! I also felt super relieved knowing that our public school can still excel in an academic competition with our private school counterparts. We did our absolute best and I’m am so proud of our team.”
Mrs. Cruz added, "As coaches, we were elated and so proud of how well our team performed, especially under the intense pressure and scrutiny they experienced during the last match. We are equally proud of their growth as competitors. We won the final match by one question! And, of course, we are happy to be able to represent LPUMS and GDOE public schools!"
Back row (from left): Coach Bernadeth Gumataotao, Isaura Aguon, Kaleb Togawa (co-captain), Ashley Biggs, Andy Topasna, Jonathan Flis (co-captain), Ysabella Bermeo, Maximilliano Ayala, Auralorae Camacho, and Coach Michelle Cruz. Front (from left): Urijah Devera, Inatan Leon Guerrero-Dunn, and Jermaine Gutierrez.