Once again, Mount Airy Middle School (MAMS) and Mount Airy City Schools (MACS) came out on top of the rankings in the North Carolina Association for Scholastic Activities (NCASA) competitions. At the association’s eleventh annual meeting, Mount Airy Middle School walked away with first place in the NCASA Challenge Cup for small middle schools and eighth-grader Abby Epperson was named NCASA Middle School Student of the Year. Principal Levi Goins and educator Patricia Combs were both recognized as finalists in the categories of Principal of the Year and Scholastic Director of the Year for their support around academic competitions for the 2020-2021 school year.
After all challenges were completed, MAMS earned a total of 220 points, ranking them 55 points ahead of the second-place position. The school participated in seven out of the over 16 competitions available to students. These competitions included; Art Showcase, The Quill, Forensics, MATHCOUNTS, Envirothon, National History Day, and HOSA. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that kept many schools in remote learning settings, MAMS was the only middle school to have all students on campus five days a week since August. While NCASA competitions could have easily been dropped, Mr. Goins and his staff problem-solved ways to make these clubs accessible to students that were face to face and remote students as well. Students rose to the challenge and performed well across the board.
National History Day
1st Place in Junior Group Exhibit, Qualified for State
Chase Moore
Scott Moore
*Received special recognition at the state competition for Non-American History
Art Showcase -
Abigail Vilanueva - Artwork selected for state competition
NC Envirothon - 3rd Place in Area Competition - Qualified for State
Abby Epperson
Carrie Marion
Chase Moore
Ruby Hoerter
Kieran Slate
2021 State HOSA Competition
Extemporaneous Health Poster
1st Emma Rudisill
2nd Ella Tate
3rd Issac Crotts
Health Career Display
1st Sidney Kate Venable/Izzy Willard
Health Career Preparation
1st Abby Epperson
Life-Threatening Situations
1st Harry Vaughn
3rd Ellie King
Math for Health Careers
1st Carrie Marion
2nd Freddy Hernandez
3rd Bill Rierson
Medical Reading
1st Gracie Branson
Nutrition
1st Jadee Gilley
Prepared Speaking
1st Emilee Corn
2nd Jessi Delacruz
3rd Lacey Taylor
Speaking Skills
1st Dani Jo Hearl
Barbara James Service Award
Jadee Gilley
Other Notable HOSA Recognitions and Awards
Largest Middle School HOSA Chapter in NC for 2020-2021
Gold Star HOSA Chapter - Mount Airy Middle School
Gold Star HOSA Advisor - Jennifer Epperson
Tied for most money donated to Be the Match with $500
Jadee Gilley most service hours for middle school
Quill
Western Regional Champions Overall - 1st Place
1st Place in Narrative - Ruby Hoerter
1st Place in Information - Abigail Epperson
1st Place in Problem/Solution - Carrie Marion
Tied for 2nd in Argument - Sidney Kate Venable
State Competition - Team - 5th Overall
1st Place in Narrative - Ruby Hoerter
Mount Airy Middle School Principal Levi Goins stated, “Being an active member of NCASA and having the opportunities for students to enrich their learning experiences through academic collaboration and competition is an incredibly rewarding experience for our school. These experiences promote important skills such as teamwork and scholarship while providing opportunities for students to excel in areas of personal strength and interest. Like many others, we were faced with new challenges this year in order to make our NCASA competitions take place. Under the direction of Patricia Combs, our NCASA teams found time to plan, practice, and work after school in order to compete. Our teams were an even mix of face-to-face and remote students that worked hard to overcome many new obstacles. We are extremely proud of our students, coaches, and leaders and their accomplishments this year in the NCASA scholastic competitions.”
Mount Airy City Schools brought home the School District Cup for small districts. The district has earned this cup yearly since the 2014-2015 school year. Standings in academic competitions from Mount Airy Middle School and Mount Airy High School students consistently earn the district the top spot across the state for small districts.
Director of Accountability and Career and Technical Education Olivia Sikes noted, “Being an active member of NCASA and having the opportunities for students to enrich their learning experiences through academic collaboration and competition is such a rewarding experience for our school district. These experiences promote important skills such as teamwork and scholarship while providing opportunities for students to excel in areas of personal strength and interest. We are extremely proud of our students, coaches, and leaders and their accomplishments this year in the NCASA scholastic competitions.”