La Paz Leads O.C. Charge on Quiz Day

South County schools took the top three spots statewide in an international academic contest.

Students from La Paz, Los Alisos and Rancho Santa Margarita intermediate schools finished first, second and third, respectively, in the Knowledge Master Open, which asks 200 questions in 14 subjects, including history, math and trivia. Teams of seventh- and eighth-graders from those campuses were among students from 60 California schools that competed this year.

“I could tell by how they were answering that they were going to do well,” La Paz teacher Cyndi Billingsley said. “They were quick with their answers.”

The students took the test Wednesday by computer at their schools. Answer disks then went to contest officials for grading.

The 21-member La Paz team placed 45th worldwide, scoring 100% in six categories, Billingsley said. More than 1,000 schools competed internationally.

Students cannot cram for the competition, she said, because “they ask everything and anything.” The team from La Paz met several days during lunch, though, to learn test-taking strategies.

La Paz eighth-grader Bobby Karr said he was very excited to learn that his team’s score was the highest in the state. Next challenge: “I want my team to come in first in the world,” he said.