GREENFIELD — Greenfield High School took first place in the local Academic World Quest competition on Feb. 24, hosted by the World Affairs Council of the Monterey Bay Area with the help of the Monterey County Office of Education.
The contest featured high school teams from around Monterey County participating in the Academic World Quest (AWQ), a team game testing students’ knowledge of international affairs. In the game, teams compete by answering questions divided into 10 categories, which reflect some of the most critical global and U.S. foreign policy issues, and the team with the most correct answers wins.
In addition to Greenfield High, which brought two teams (men’s and women’s), other high schools participating this year were: Monterey High, Santa Catalina, Seaside High and Stevenson School.
The Greenfield men’s team — Enrique Anguiano, Abraham Carrillo and Daniel Morales — worked together to successfully answer questions on 10 topics, including NATO, South Korea, AI, sports and current events, and came out on top.
“My favorite part of the competition was the thrill of finally completing the competition,” said Anguiano after the contest. “This was rewarding because of all of the time and effort that went into studying for it.”
The Greenfield students and their coach, Evangelina Mateo, will now head to Washington, D.C., to compete at the national level next month.
Earning second place in the local AWQ competition was the Greenfield women’s team — Monica Bernal, Cari Espinoza and Jocelyn Ortiz.
The World Affairs Council of the Monterey Bay Area (WACMB) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to promote public education, raise the standards of public debate and encourage dialogue through the study and discussion of international issues.
WACMB raised money through MCGives! to pay for the expenses of the winning team to participate in the 22nd Annual National Academic World Quest Competition in Washington, D.C., on April 20. It will then host a dinner to honor Greenfield High on May 14.
