Lou DiCesare,  Business Education Teacher

April 21, 2008

 

IHS LifeSmarts Team Finishes 11th in National Competition

 

Business students from Irondequoit High School competed in the 2008 LifeSmarts national competition April 12-15 in Minneapolis, MN.

 

LifeSmarts (www.lifesmarts.org ) is a quiz-show style competition that tests students' knowledge on consumer-related issues. LifeSmarts is a consumer education competition that tests teens in grades 9-12 about personal finance, health and safety, the environment, technology, and consumer rights and responsibilities. Students begin by logging on, taking a series of practice quizzes, and forming teams to compete first on-line, and then at the state level, for a chance to go to the national competition. The goal of the LifeSmarts organization is to make teenagers smarter consumers.

After having won the state title back in March, the Irondequoit team of (Renee Roth (senior & captain), Jesse Leonardo (senior), Steve Ross (senior), Tyler Condello (junior), and Samantha Jebbett (sophomore) went down to Minneapolis on Saturday, April 12th to represent New York State and compete against 30 other state champions http://www.lifesmarts.org/index.php?page=online_state_champs

 

This was the eighth time that Irondequoit High School represented NYS at the national level in the past eleven years. The national contest was structured so teams competed over three days in a double-elimination format until the semi-finals where the contest became single elimination.

During each match, four players are on stage at one time with an alternate subbing in at various times throughout the match. Each match contained four individual questions worth five points each, four team questions worth five points each, a team-plus round (using buzzers for one player one each team competing) also worth five points each, and finally a challenge round where all contestants use the buzzers and correct answers are ten points each.

 

Irondequoit (NY), drew the state of Illinois and Wisconsin in its first match. They earned enough points to beat Wisconsin but not Illinois. This meant competing in the consolation bracket and trying to win their way back into the winner’s bracket.

 

The second round paired Irondequoit (NY) against Indiana. The Irondequoit team won in convincing fashion winning 125-65.

 

The next match was against the state champions from Kentucky and North Dakota. The five-person Irondequoit team representing New York State beat North Dakota, but lost to Kentucky by two questions. Thus, ending Irondequoit's competition with a record against other state champions three wins and two losses.

 

Virginia went on to win the competition, but Irondequoit (NY) finished a respectable 11th place in this national contest of consumer savvy.

 

The students managed a little bit of fun during their time in Minneapolis most of it a one of the largest malls in the world – The Mall of America which features an amusement park and aquarium. The New York team of Irondequoit students competed in this event through the financial support of the New York Credit Union Foundation.