Thomas County Central High School students had a strong performance and won numerous medals at a recent academic competition.

On Saturday, Oct. 17, TCCHS students traveled to Cairo for the Region Academic Pentathlon. They brought home 14 medals and placed in all subjects in which the school competed.

“It is great to go up against other schools in your area, even much bigger schools like Lee County, and bring home so many medals,” commented event sponsor Laura Kornegay.

The event allowed students to compete by taking a test in one of the following subjects: math, science, social studies, essay, or Spanish.

Junior Eli Kosciw was a second place winner in 11^th grade science.

“The competition was a great way to show what I’ve learned,” he said.

In Spanish, Evan Caulley placed second in 11^th grade and Ben Barwick placed first in 12^th grade.

In math, Justin Strickland placed second in 11^th grade and Guanghui Li placed 1^st in 12^th grade.

In social studies, Jason Weeks and Vince Wynn placed first in 10^th and 11^th grades; Kennedy Ward and Maggie Martin place second in 10^th and 11^th grades.

“The experience was helpful in learning how I can apply my love for history in the future,” Vince Wynn said.

In science, Jackson NeSmith, Chandler Watson, and Austin Yeomans placed first in 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th grade, respectively.  Brooklyn Reese, Sierra Stephens, and Eli Kosciw placed second in 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th grades.

Also, students competed in a quiz bowl competition that covered a broad range of subjects.  Medals were awarded by grade in each subject.  Scholarships to Bainbridge College, Thomas University or Southern Regional Technical College were awarded to seniors who placed first.

“It is important for students to have a chance to compete academically with students from across the region and the state,” Kornegay said. “After all, that’s who they will be competing with for college admissions and scholarships.  I am proud of how our students competed, and of how they handled themselves at the competition.”

Hannah Dixon, Chandler Watson, Maggie Martin, Mason Lawing, and Jason Weeks discuss their answer before giving it to the score keeper during the Quiz Bowl portion of the competition, in which the team placed second.