Contestants step it up

CHADRON, NE -- For the 54th year since 1961, students from a three-state area converged onto the Chadron State College Campus to take part in the Chadron Scholastic Contest.

According to College President Randy Rhine’s address on the csu.edu website, participants in the 2015 Scholastic Contest come from schools in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

High school seniors who ranked first on their tests were awarded “a financial award equivalent to one full year of resident tuition at Chadron State College,” according to the site’s related information.

Out of the twenty-seven SBHS students participating in the event, fourteen of them ranked in the top 25% in their scores.

Senior Emily Bertolotto took 11th place in Psychology; freshman Lucas Dimitt received 3rd place on World History; senior John Gasper placed 5th for his submitted Photojournalism work; senior Seth Gerberding ranked 9th for Advanced Mathematics, 10th for Physics and tied for 2nd place on American Government with senior Jordan Smith who also placed 14th on the American History exam and 8th on Physics; senior Kylee Keffeler placed 10th on the Chemistry test; 12th place was taken by senior Jordan Lienau on the Advanced Mathematics test; freshman Grayson Nelson ranked 15th on General Science; senior Jackson Peterson placed 8th on Literature and 2nd on Chemistry.

First place recipients included sophomore Tanner VanSickle for Nutrition and Family Health, senior Felicia Swallow for General Biology and the Eagle Cook-Off team, which included junior Chris VanAsma, senior Jeff Noyes and junior Jon Towler.