The team from West Plains High School took top honors in the 34th annual Interscholastic Contest hosted by Missouri State University-West Plains on Friday, April 12, on the Missouri State-West Plains campus.
An estimated 300 students from 14 area high schools in Missouri and Arkansas participated in the academic event.
The competition tested the students’ knowledge in a variety of subject areas ranging from agriculture, science and math to speech, history and English.
Competition was held in three divisions based on school size, with first, second and third place winners announced in each division. First, second and third place winners overall also were named.
Overall contest winners
The West Plains team placed first in the overall competition, which gives them ownership of the coveted grand trophy that is awarded to the overall first place winner every year. Second place overall went to Houston High School, and third place went to Thayer High School.
Alex Pinnon, director of the William and Virginia Darr Honors Program at the university and coordinator of the contest, said the overall competition winner is determined by a point system based on student scores irrespective of division.
Division winners
In Division I, West Plains again took top honors, followed by Willow Springs High School in second and Mountain Home High School in third.
Top honors in Division II went to Thayer High School. Houston High School placed second, and Alton High School third.
In Division III, the team from Norwood placed first, followed by Summersville High School in second and Winona High School in third.
In all, three teams competed in Division I, four in Division II and seven in Division III.
“The Interscholastic Contest is always a highlight of the academic year for us, as we get to host some of the best students around on our campus, and these great students get to challenge their scholastic endeavors,” Pinnon said.
For more information about the Interscholastic Contest and how to participate in next year’s event, contact Pinnon at 417-255-7965 or at apinnon@missouristate.edu.