Palm Desert HS Students Win Free Trip to Washington, D.C.

From California State University, San Bernardino: A team of students from Palm Desert High School emerged as winner from a field of 12 Coachella Valley high schools during the 12th annual Charles and Priscilla Porter Academic WorldQuest competition at Cal State San Bernardino’s Palm Desert Campus on Dec. 8.

Team members included Matthew Chang, Patricia Dan, Danielle Hjerpe and Joshua Phillips, as well as team coaches Patricia Lizza and Lisa Schwarzlose. Rancho Mirage High School captured second place and after a fierce battle of nine tiebreaker rounds, Xavier College Prep beat out Indio High School for third place. Scholarships were awarded to each student in the top three teams: 1st place $300, 2nd place $200 and 3rd place $100.

The most improved award went to West Shores High School who won $75 each. Other awards included: School Spirit - Xavier College Prep, Team Spirit - Indio High School and Professional Dress - Palm Valley School.

The Palm Desert High School team scored 46 out of 50, which is the highest score in the history of this local competition. The team will move on to compete against other high school teams throughout the country in the National Academic WorldQuest Competition to be held in Washington, D.C. in April 2017.

Sponsored by World Affairs Council of the Desert, the Charles and Priscilla Porter Academic WorldQuest is a team game which challenges the competitors’ knowledge of world affairs. The topics this year included European Union, Global Megacities, Women in Technology, Countering Violent Extremism and Great Decisions. Bianca Rae, morning anchor at KESQ News Channel 3, served as mistress of ceremony.

This year’s competing high schools included Coachella Valley, Desert Hot Springs, Desert Mirage, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Palm Valley, Rancho Mirage, Shadow Hills, West Shores and Xavier College Prep. President of World Affairs Council of the Desert, John Welty, presented each student with certificates of recognition from the office Congressman Raul Ruiz.

Doris Wilson, associate dean at CSUSB Palm Desert Campus, chaired the event, with assistance from Charles and Priscilla Porter, Tom Headrick, Rebecca Simpson, Karen Speros, Gordon Kramer, Yul Roe, Regina Garrison and 28 volunteers. Event sponsors included The Cypress Group, a division of Integrated Wealth Management, as the presenting sponsor; Palm Springs Life and Charles and Priscilla Porter as platinum sponsors; Desert Lexus, Renaissance Indian Wells Resort & Spa, Anderson Children’s Foundation and Regional Access Project Foundation as gold ambassadors; and County of Riverside-Supervisor John J. Benoit, Rabobank, La Quinta-Chris McCullough and CSUSB Palm Desert Campus as silver ambassadors.

Located in beautiful Palm Desert, the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees, a doctorate in educational leadership, and teacher credentials and certificates. With more than 1,400 students, it is the Coachella Valley’s four-year public university and plays a vital role in educating and training the region’s growing population.

For more information about the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus, contact Mike Singer in the campus’s Office of Public Affairs at msinger@csusb.edu or (760) 341-2883, ext. 78107 or visit the campus website.

Image via California State University, San Bernardino: Palm Desert High School 1st place team members, Matthew Chang, Patricia Dan, Danielle Hjerpe, Joshua Phillips