Tigers Study Their Way To The Top for CAO

Superquiz team member Jenna reacts with LM CAO Champ Haley when they find out they’ve won the event.

Scroll down to view photo gallery.

Haley is the first girl in seventeen years to win gold in Science. Go girl!

It was a banner year for La Mariposa and the Camarillo Academic Olympics.  For the first time ever, our Superquiz team, The Tiger Tribe, won the Superquiz.  La Mariposa also snagged 14 individual medals, the most of all the elementary schools.  This medal count includes winning gold in five of the ten individual categories.  Looks like our tigers jumped into their smarty pants with both feet for this one!

Alex is the first student in CAO history to win gold in both creative writing and art.

The Camarillo Academic Olympics culminated with the Superquiz Finals and Awards Ceremony held at Monte Vista last Friday night.  Students marched in and received their medals on the podium in front of a cheering crowd of parents and Camarillo VIPs.  A huge Tiger congratulations goes out to:

• The Tiger Tribe Superquiz Team: Manas Khatore, Jenna Chui, Evelyn Li, Matt Kim, Karolina Dzieciol.
• Haley Jeffers: 1st Place Science, 1st Place English Grammar, 2nd Place Math
• Manas Khatore: 1st Place Geography, 2nd Place Math, 3rd Place Science
• Alex Masci:  1st Place Art, 1st Place Creative Writing
• Jenna Chui:  2nd Place Creative Writing
• Sophia Pantoja: 2nd Place Speech
• Tanvi Patil: 3rd Place Speech
• Andrew Chan: 4th Place Current Events
• Matthew Yang: 5th Place Art
• Nicholas Truitt: 6th Place Current Events

The Tiger Tribe–2014 Division II Superquiz Champs–blowing off a little steam before the final stage of the competition Friday night.

Big Tiger hugs go out to Speech Coach, Dorothy Hanchey, and Superquiz Coaches Nilay and Nidhi Khatore.  Special thanks to Kathryn Masci for the perfect data entry and all of our judges, proctors, drivers, and tabulators:  Barbara Velji, Erica Williams, Nicole Sadowsky, Christy Pantoja, Ann Hudacko, Cathy Schafer, Jeff Miller, Jill Heybl, Kelly Long, Cindy Laudato-Wong, Yanzhen Xu, Kari Wetter, Lily Li, Natalie Swarts, Mickey Hirsch, Melissa Short, Jennifer Kwast, Alexis Chavez, Catherine Pedrosa, Michelle Fisher, Maria Redekopp, Madhuri Patil, & Linda Fitzgerald.  Programs like CAO do not happen without volunteers like you!

The Tiger Tribe

Manas & Haley receiving silver medals for math.

Manas & Haley receiving silver medals for math.

Hailey receiving her gold medal in English Grammar.

Manas receiving his gold medal in geography.

Alan receiving his medals in Current Events.

Principal Williams and Superintendent Michael giving medals to Alex and Jenna.

Alex and Jenna receiving their medals in creative writing.

Tanvi and her bronze medal in Speech. “I – WANT – MY – APPLE JUICE!”

Sophia and her silver medal is Speech.

Waiting on pins and needles.

On the podium.

My that’s a big trophy!

Tigers Compete For Academic Awards; Winners Announced

Last week, 4th and 5th grade students competed in Round 1 of the Camarillo Academic Olympics.  Students could choose up to three of the following categories:  Art, California History, Current Events, Creative Writing, English Grammar, Geography, Math, Science, Speech, and US History.  More than 180 students participated.  (Scroll to the end to view a full photo gallery.)

Competition started last Wednesday with the Art and Creative Writing categories.  Art competitors had an hour and fifteen minutes to compose and draw a still life from five ordinary objects.  Entries were judges based on composition; drawing techniques like shading, proportion, and perspective; and the overall impression of the piece.  Creative writing participants were also given an hour and fifteen minutes to write a story.  Each student could choose one of three story leads.  The judges were very impressed with the students’ use of figurative language, dialog, creative plots, and sophisticated vocabulary.

1st Place: Alex M.

2nd Place: Matt Y.

3rd Place: Evelyn L.

Thursday was the big day for subject tests.  Thirty minutes was allotted for each twenty-five question multiple choice test.  You could have heard a pin drop in the MPR as more than 80 students completed their exams.  It was equally quiet in the library where an additional 22 students completed their tests.

The week concluded with the Speech competition.  Thirteen students worked hard beginning in December, choosing material, memorizing their stories, and practicing during lunches to polish their voices and gestures.  All the kids improved so much in the last couple weeks and did an amazing job!

After a weekend on pins and needles, the winners were announced yesterday.  In the classrooms, participants received recognition with a certificate of participation.  The top three winners in each class received ribbons.  Finally it was time for the school winners to be announced.  Mrs. Williams, read the winners to the whole school on Monday afternoon.  The kids walked to the office to get their extra big ribbons and have their picture taken.

Congratulations to all of our winners:

Math Winners: Shea, 2nd; Manas, 1st; Haley, 2nd, Justin, 2nd; Matt, 2nd; Armando, 2nd (not pictured)

Science Winners: Jackson, 3rd; Keith, 3rd; Garren, 3rd; Manas, 3rd; Haley, 1st; Matthew, 2nd

English Grammar Winners: Brandon, 3rd; Jenna, 2nd; Haley, 1st

US History Winners – Tie for 1st: Nathan, Max, Matthew

Geography Winners: Matthew, 2nd; Manas, 1st; Lucas, 2nd (not pictured)

CA History Winners: Colin, 2nd; Cate, 2nd; Maddy, 1st; Jesus, 2nd; Nathan, 2nd

Current Events Winners: Andrew, 1st; Nick, 2nd; Sassin, 3rd

Art Winners: Alex, 1st; Matt, 2nd; Evelyn, 3rd

Creative Writing Winners: Alex, 1st; Jenna, 2nd; Anna, 3rd, Christian, 3rd

Speech Winners: Sophia, 1st; Daisy, 3rd; Tanvi, 3rd; Edison, 2nd

All of our school winners will represent La Mariposa in the City Prelimaries held at the Boys & Girls Club the first week in February.  Good luck, Tigers!

Thank you to all the volunteers that proctored tests, graded tests, and wrote on certificates.  Special thanks to Dorothy Hanchey, Nichole Sadowsky, Christy Pantoja, and Kathryn Masci for their above and beyond behind the scenes work…we never could have done it without you!  Finally a big tiger hug to the La Mariposa office staff for being extra accommodating during last week’s events.