Clay County Times-Democrat: Local News: GT team takes third in state (05/20/09)

Celebrating the RHS gifted and talented team's third place win in the Arkansas Personal Finance Challenge 2009 are, from left: Jeannette Bennett of the Federal Reserve Bank, Memphis branch; team members Kristie Hardin, Chelsea Benson and Amanda Layer; Arkansas Economics Executive Director Sue Owens; team member Abie Petty, and GT coach Gail Burns.

[Click to enlarge]

Four Rector High School gifted and talented students recently won third place in the state in the Arkansas Personal Finance Challenge 2009 held on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas at Conway.

Team members Amanda Layer, Chelsea Benson, Abie Petty and Kristie Hardin went through four rounds of competition in a Quiz Bowl tournament format with personal finance questions, bringing home the third place trophy, medals and $150 in cash prize money.

Other teams competing in the state finals included: Rivercrest High School; Arkansas School of Mathematics, Science and Arts; Cutter Morning Star High School; Bearden High School; Genoa Central High School; Hector High School; Subiaco Academy; Little Rock Christian Academy teams A1 and A2, and Hampton High School.

The first and second place trophies went to the two Little Rock Christian teams.

The Rector team earned a spot in the state competition by placing as one of the top two teams from the Northeast Arkansas region in first round competition with online standardized tests among students from all across the state. Riverside High School also represented the Northeast region.

Gifted and talented coordinator Gail Burns and bus driver/parent Richard Petty accompanied the Rector team. The Arkansas Personal Finance Challenge is sponsored by Economics Arkansas, R.E. Lee Wilson Trust and the Federal Reserve Bank's St. Louis, Little Rock and Memphis branches.