Gulf team headed to Commissioner’s
Academic Challenge

This article appeared in the Suncoast News on March 14, 2008.

By KLINT LOWRY

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - Ever since New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms uttered the phrase back in 1987, "I'm going to Disney World" – or Disneyland, depending on which coast is closer – has been synonymous with victory.

On April 10-12, six students from Gulf High School will be going to Disney World, not for gridiron glory but as Pasco County School's representatives in the Commissioner's Academic Challenge.

The team members – Alice Chang, Shannen Gleghorn, Joseph Kanaan, Andrew Penick, Lili Pimentel and Zaker Shareef – earned the school's first-ever title with a victory at the countywide tournament Feb. 15 at Land 'O Lakes High School.

The Commissioner's Academic Challenge, started in 1987, tests students' knowledge in a wide range of subjects. They include language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, the fine arts, world languages and technology.

Tournaments are played in rounds, with four players competing in any given round. It is a slower-paced, more team-oriented competition than most types of academic competitions. Team members are allowed to confer among themselves, with all the answers filtered through a team spokesperson.

In Gulf High's case, that would be junior Joseph Kanaan, who is on the team for the third straight year.

Besides being knowledgeable, Kanaan said, you have to be competitive about it. That aspect of his character came out when he talked about the satisfaction that came from winning this year against perennial powerhouse Land 'O Lakes High School on their own turf.

"Of course, we lost to them in ninth and 10th grade, because they were all seniors, and we didn't have as much knowledge as them, just by virtue of not having been in school as long as them," Kanaan said.

"So now we're juniors and have caught up with them, and are apparently smarter than them," he added, unable to keep a straight face.

News of the team's victory was especially gratifying, as this is the first year Gulf High School has had students in the International Baccalaureate program.

IB, for juniors and seniors, sets a common standard for high academic, social and personal achievement for high school students in 80 countries around the world.

All the Gulf team members are in IB. According to Lili Pimentel, keeping up in her IB classes is all she needs to compete.

"The questions, they ask us, either you know it or you don't," Lili said.

Teacher Jena Bigley is the team's coach, but she downplays her role, giving them full credit for their accomplishment.

"They're so far advanced and they're such good kids; I have a place for them to come and practice," Bigley said.

Bigley does go online and find questions from previous tournaments to use for practice. The Web hunt is as much for practice teamwork as it is to broaden their knowledge, however, since there is no way to anticipate what they may need to know, the teacher said.

While they each have their strong suits, they are all good all-around competitors. At a recent practice, however, Bigley, Kanaan, Pimentel and Zaker Shareef conceded Alice Chang, the team's expert on all things literary, is their heavy hitter.

Along with the team competition, an all-star team of individual players will be selected at the state tournament to compete in the Panasonic Academic Challenge, a national tournament, which will also take place at Walt Disney World Resort in June.

If any of them has a chance of being named to that team, it's Alice Chang, her teammates said. Alice was not there to confirm or deny that claim. She was in Los Angeles competing in the second annual National Vocabulary Championship.