St. Patrick School Wins Spelling Bee & Takes 2nd in Brain Bowl

St. Patrick School (SPS), a U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon School and an AdvancED STEM Certified School, today announces that a team of Grade 3 and 4 students team placed 2nd in the New Jersey Consortium for Gifted & Talented Program (NJCGTP) Brain Bowl and a Grade 5 student won 1st place in the NJCGT Spelling Bee.

“We could not be prouder of our students who participated in the annual Brain Bowl and Spelling Bee,” said Dr. Christine Ross, principal of St. Patrick School.

St. Patrick School's team of Grade 3 and 4 students won 2nd place in the 2020 New Jersey Consortium for Gifted & Talented Program Brain Bowl, competing against local parochial and public schools. The rigorous competition entailed answering trivia questions through preliminary rounds in math, reading, science, social studies and popular culture. St. Patrick School was one of the teams with the highest scores advancing after the preliminary round to the finals. Those students from St. Patrick School who participated include Elizabeth Shelffo, Riya Mathew, Kendall Kiraly, Ellis Sobers, Brigid Flynn, Siena Bushell, Andrew Cullen, Charlie Bolster, Sean Curtis, and Keegan Soares.

In addition, St. Patrick School Grade 5 student, Ethan Yang, won the 2020 New Jersey Consortium for Gifted & Talented Program Spelling Bee! Nearly 100 students competed for the title. Also serving on the NJCGT Spelling Bee team from St. Patrick School were Grade 3 students, Jerry Kearney, Claire Shrekgast, and Keegan Soares; Grade 4 students, Riya Mathew, Michael Vescera, Alex Losacco; and Grade 5 students, Henry Clyan, Kiera Vowells, and Peyton Simmons.

ABOUT ST. PATRICK SCHOOL

St. Patrick School, which was founded in 1872, is a U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon School and one of only four Catholic elementary schools in the nation to achieve STEM Certification from preschool through Grade 8 from AdvancED, a national school accrediting agency. The school is located adjacent to St. Patrick Parish in the heart of historic Chatham in Morris County, New Jersey. St. Patrick School follows the curriculum guidelines outlined by the Diocese of Paterson and based on the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards. St. Patrick School provides a learning environment that embraces the values of the Catholic faith and promotes a commitment to family and community. SPS prepares young women and men to realize their potential, helps them to excel in higher education, and provides a foundation to guide them throughout their lives. For more information, visit www.st-pats-school.org.

About the New Jersey Consortium for Gifted & Talented Program

The New Jersey Consortium for Gifted and Talented Programs, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to enrich the lives of gifted and talented students in NJ. Member School Districts encourage their students to engage in the varied and exciting events offered by the NJCGTP each calendar year.