Penn wins State Championship in English Academic Super Bowl.

Penn High School’s Academic Super Bowl English Team, coached by Candice Beelaert, won the 2021 State Championship. A virtual competition was held for teams this year. The Top 5 teams in the state were Penn, Fishers, Bloomington High School South, Terre Haute South Vigo and Pendleton Heights.

Representing Penn in the state competition were Maddy Zavada (captain), Alex Goffinet, Lily Marks, Valentina Gianesi and Saniya Zackariya.

According to Beelaert, the competition requires the students to read and study multiple sources in preparation for the invitationals, regional, and state.  There is always an overarching theme that the entire competition, no matter the subject, follows.  This year was entitled “Year of the Woman”.

Penn’s English team studied a novel, several short stories, and poetry by a diverse range of women.  Within the context of the competition itself, the team must answer 25 multiple-choice questions, Beelaert explained. Each question allows for 20 seconds to respond.  With that in mind, the team must be quick thinking and know the material very well.

“The team this year was amazing,” Beelaert said. “They worked so well together and read, read, and read.  The team was so dedicated and always worked well together to make the end result happen.  It was not an easy year with all of the challenges that were presented, but the team really came together and made it happen!

“I could not be more pleased with the outcome and the state championship title,” Beelaert said. “It is such a great accomplishment for the students and for the school.  I can't think of a better way to represent Penn academic teams!”