Superintendent Cyndy S. Taymore
360 Lynn Fells Parkway
Melrose , MA 02176
For Immediate Release
Monday, May 1, 2017
Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net
Melrose High School Economics Team Competes in Econ Showdown
MELROSE — Melrose High School Principal Jason Merrill is pleased to announce that two teams of economics students competed in an ECON Showdown.
The ECON Showdown is a Learning Economics and Finance Network (LEAF) student competition for all Massachusetts economics students. Hosted by Wachusett Regional High School, the April 11 event offered a competitive way for students to learn and explore microeconomics, macroeconomics and international economics.
Students, which were broken into teams, tackled a diverse selection of academic challenges, including written examinations, critical thinking problems, an international problem-solving case study, and a trivia round. Professional judges from education and business communities were brought in to judge student responses.
“The ECON showdown was a fun way for students to put what they’ve learned in the classroom to use in this competitive event,” Principal Merrill said. “This event was a great way for students to showcase their knowledge on economics topics.”
The case study topic, “Should Ireland follow the United Kingdom and exit the European Union?” involved a model of a real-world international or macroeconomic situation faced by a nation. Students had to present a plausible, economics-grounded solution, which was then scored by a panel of judges based on creativity, accuracy and feasibility.
Teams were split into two divisions, each garnering as many points as possible every round. Two teams from opposing divisions with the highest accumulated total points advanced to the finals and faced off in a quiz bowl.
One MHS team, which consisted of 12th grade student Holly Bourque and 11th grade students Emma Winey, Katie Meade and Luc Carbonneau won a 1st place trophy in the AP division for having presented the best overall solution to the problem.
The other team of MHS students, 12th grade students Julia McLaughlin, Michaela Fanikos and Ryan Bradford, along with 11th grade student Tara O’Shea, earned the highest combined multiple choice score of any team at the ECON Showdown.
Additionally, McLaughlin, Fanikos, Bradford and O’Shea represented Melrose at the prestigious Harvard Pre Collegiate Economics Competition (HPEC) on April 1, which features elite schools from around the country. There, they won three of their four quiz bowl matches and advanced to the playoff round with the ninth highest score out of all teams.
“MHS was one of only a handful of public schools to advance to the playoff round at HPEC and their performance marks the best result Melrose has ever achieved at the event,” said MHS Social Studies Teacher Michael Noone, who served as a coach for the two events.
About LEAF:
The Learning Economics and Finance Network is the largest teacher-led organization in the state that operates in the economic and financial literacy space. It was started in 2014 by a former Wall Street security analyst and an award-winning economics educator.
LEAF’s mission is to equip students in grades six through 14 with the most important skills they need to thrive in our global economy.
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