Students from St. Joseph School, Toms River, earned first place ranking in the ninth annual St. Rose High School Invitational Scholastic Bowl held Oct. 23. Young academics from nine diocesan grammar schools competed at the St. Rose Belmar campus in eight subject areas for both team and individual awards.

Each competing school sponsored a team of eight seventh-and eighth-graders who vied, one per subject area, in the categories of Current Events, English, Geography, Mathematics, Religion, Science, Spelling, and Social Studies. Individual student scores earned from the 30-minute multiple choice tests were combined to determine a team score and overall winner.

The St. Joseph team took home the first place team medal as well as a $2,000 tuition certificate for use at St. Rose High School. Teams from the second place winner, St. Catharine School, Spring Lake; and St. Dominic School, Brick, who ranked third place in the contest, earned $1,000 tuition certificates each.

The scholastic bowl also recognized individual students who excelled in a subject area, each of them earning a $500 tuition certificate for use at St. Rose High School.  The winners in each of the eight subject areas were: in Current events, Mark Caverly, St. Dominic; in English, John Shea, St. Catharine; in Geography, Caroline Schwester, St. Joseph; in Mathematics, Gabriella Ignacio, St. Joseph; in Religion, Rebecca Madeira, St. Veronica, Howell; in Science, Patrick Magahis, St. Dominic; in Spelling, Cameron O’Connor, St. Joseph; and in Social Studies, Rodman Rupp, St. Peter, Point Pleasant.

Other diocesan schools who competed in this year’s scholastic bowl were St. Jerome, West Long Branch; Holy Innocents, Neptune; St. Aloysius, Jackson; St. Rose, Belmar; and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Asbury Park.

“It’s a fun day,” remembered St. Rose High School guidance counselor Ann Pfister-Brown, moderator for the scholastic bowl. The competition began with a prayer, then St. Rose High School Ambassador students escort their young counterparts to classrooms for the testing. After tests are scanned and scored, the students and their parents are escorted to the school’s Little Theater to receive their awards.

Juliann James, St. Joseph School senior vice principal, served as moderator for the Toms River team of young scholars. “This was a great opportunity for our students to interact in an academic environment with high-achieving students,” she noted. “The spirited atmosphere of all the schools involved was a testament to the quality education offered in all the Catholic schools in the diocese.”