National medals, friendships for Academic Gamers
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Over the course of the school year, students from the Academy of the Sacred Heart competed against other students in the New Orleans Academic Games League in hopes of qualifying for the national tournament, sponsored by the Academy Games League, in Washington, D.C.
To qualify for nationals, students competed in a series of math-, knowledge- and language-based games and then were ranked based on their performance and scores, with the top competitors in each division invited to the nationals.
Nationally decorated
“At the national tournament, Sacred Heart students were on teams with other students who qualified from the New Orleans Academic Games League,” said Erin Reynaud, Academy of Sacred Heart’s director of communications. “This was one of the best parts of the national tournament. Students had the opportunity to be on the same team as some of the students that they’ve competed against all year.
“For example, one of our students, Claire Neill, was on a team with students from Audubon Charter, Ecole Bilingue, Christian Brothers and St. Pius X. Cate McCammon and Amelia Stein, other Sacred Heart students, were on a team together with students from Ben Franklin and Jesuit.”Three students from Sacred Heart qualified for the national tournament. Neill competed in the Elementary Division (fifth and sixth grades), and Stein and McCammon competed in the Senior Division (11th and 12th grades).
Over the course of the local and regional competition, Sacred Heart students engaged in more than 15 hours of competition. They played “equations” and “on-sets,” which are math-based games; “presidents,” which requires an in-depth knowledge of presidential trivia; and “propaganda,” which calls on students to identify the techniques of persuasion being used in ads and real-life scenarios.
Neill’s team received a third-place national award in the president’s category, and she also received a sixth-place individual award in that category. Neill’s team received a fifth-place award in propaganda.
Stein’s and McCammon’s team received a first-place national award in propaganda. Stein also earned a first-place individual award, and McCammon finished third. The New Orleans team also earned a fourth-place finish in on-sets.
Awards aren’t everything
“One of my favorite parts of going to nationals is being able to meet players from other states and see how they play,” McCammon said. “Every year, I learn something new and come back to Louisiana a better player.”
This is the fourth consecutive year that Sacred Heart has sent students to compete in the Academic Games League of America national tournament.
About 300 students compete in the New Orleans Academic Games League. In addition to the schools in the New Orleans Academic Games League, there are several other leagues from Louisiana that sent students to the national tournament.
“Nationals is always a whirlwind of competing, practicing, studying and hanging out with new and old friends,” Reynaud said. “It is amazing to see how many people around the country play Academic Games – more than 1,000 students competed in Washington, D.C. The national tournament is an amazing experience, and we’re already looking forward to next year’s tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina.”
Academic Games at Sacred Heart welcomes any interested student. The games provide an opportunity to learn with other students interested in math, language arts and social studies.
According to the New Orleans Academic Games League website (noagl.org), participants develop critical thinking skills and strategy, which is a key component in each game. As a result, they develop courage, character and poise in applying their knowledge while competing against opponents.
Along with becoming better students academically, competitors learn the value of hard work and cooperating with teammates. A large part of Academic Games is developing students into knowledgeable and responsible members of society.
“Competing in the game of presidents in Washington, D.C., was especially meaningful,” Reynaud said. “Between rounds of competition, students had the opportunity to explore our nation’s capital.”
The three Sacred Heart students were recognized for their achievements this year on May 12 at the New Orleans Academic Games League Spring Awards Ceremony.