Beaver Falls Gifted Program Produces Champions, Several Top Ten Finishers At National AGLOA Games In Knoxville

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)
(Photos courtesy BBFASD Facebook page)

The Big Beaver Falls Area School District is celebrating a road victory of national proportions.

The BBFASD Gifted Program returns Tuesday from a trip to the National AGLOA (Academic Games League of America) Tournament in Knoxville, Tennessee and placed several students in the Top Ten in the World Events game (with Theme & Current Events categories), including one champion.

Beaver Falls students return to the city with their trophies and medals from the AGLOA games in Knoxville, TN. Gifted program director Jon Sheffield is standing in back fourth from right; BBFASD Superintendent Donna Nugent is standing far right.

8th grader Sam Haas finished first out of 122 participants from around the nation in the Middle Division in World Events: Current Events. He was joined by freshmen Nathan Chen and Joseph DeJeu, who were members of the first-place team in the Current Events category for the Junior Division. Gifted Program director Jon Sheffield was happy about the historic moment, telling Beaver County Radio: “Under the 18 years at BF and 17 as Gifted coordinator, this is the first student I’ve ever had win outright at the national level.”

Chen also did well individually, placing fourth overall out of 62 participants in World Events in the Theme category, and was a member of the third-place team in the Junior Division along with sophomore Travis Cunning. In the Senior Division of the Theme category, senior Danielle Gibson finished 7th out of 80 national participants in World Events. Fellow senior Mikia Lawrence finished 15th in the Senior Division of Theme and 14th in the Senior Division for Current Events.

Senior Lydia Chen finished 12th out of 123 students in the Senior Division of the game Propaganda, and Cunning finished 25th out 93 in the Junior Division of the game Presidents. Overall, Sheffield praised the students for competing at such a high level and representing the school successfully at Knoxville.