Members of the High Achievement Program at the high school competed head on against other students in the Minnesota Academic Worldquest Challenge.

The Minnesota International Center, an organization that educates the community on global issues, sponsored the event.

HAP advocate Lee-Ann Stephens said it is a fun and challenging international knowledge competition. A colleague approached her who is on the board of the Minnesota International Center.

“The event was held on Feb. 5 at General Mills and 35 teams from across the metro area participated,” Stephens said.

Junior Josie Goodman said although her team didn’t win, she still enjoyed the experience, and learned a lot.

“It was fun to be with friends, and it was informative,” Goodman said. “Now we know what to expect for next year. We mostly went to enjoy ourselves rather than to win.”

Stephens said she only made the event available to HAP students, and the teams were created on a volunteer basis.

“There were two teams, one of juniors and one of seniors. Students who compete in these types of competitions don’t typically reflect the diversity that HAP students represent. It was great to give them this opportunity,” Stephens said.

The competition included questions on Cybersecurity, U.S. Energy Policy, Global Economic Realignment, Middle East, Global Environmental Issues, U.S. Education, UN Millennium Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty & Hunger, Global Health, Geography, Current Events and Mexico. Stephens said the students were given study guides and handouts for each topic.

“The seniors divided the topics among themselves and their intent was to be an expert on that topic,” Stephens said. “The juniors wanted to know all the topics, so they didn’t divide them. However, both teams should have prepared more.”

Stephens said both teams tied for 21st place, and the junior team is excited to compete again next year.

“The students really enjoyed the experience. They felt very proud of their results, considering they didn’t prepare like they should have,” Stephens said. “They feel like they learned a great deal about global affairs.”