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Groveport Madison students honored for Model UN, swim and esports state titles
Summary
Students from Groveport Madison Local Schools were recognized by the board March 11 after statewide and regional competition success: the Model UN teams placed in the top 10 and won an essay contest, the swim team set school records, and the high school esports team won the state championship and received a national invitation.
The Groveport Madison Local Schools Board of Education recognized students and coaches March 11 for recent competitive successes, including state- and regional-level finishes in Model United Nations, swimming and esports.
Ray Mertz, the high school Model UN adviser, told the board the district sent five teams to the state Model UN in December, competing against roughly 162 other schools, and that Groveport Madison had a top-10 overall finish and an essay contest winner. "We had five teams this year and ... our Kosovo team finished in the top 10," Mertz said. "These kids brought the trophies home for us." Student Najma Omar, who introduced herself as Model UN council president, described the program as a formative experience that strengthened research, communication and leadership skills and thanked the board and administrators for supporting the program as a class and an extracurricular opportunity.
The board also recognized the swim program and coaches Rachel Owens and Alana Weber. Owens told the board swimmer Tae Owens won first place in two individual events at the OCC meet and several relay teams and individuals qualified for district competition; the program broke four school records this season. "This was also the first year that we took two relays to districts," Owens said.
Coach Scott Wilson described rapid growth in the high school esports program from about 10 students in its first year to roughly 28 today, and he said his team won the state championship, recording the largest margin of victory in the tournament’s history and winning all three "drops" used to score the event. Wilson said the state title earned an invitation to the national tournament. "We won the state championship," he said. "They didn't just win, they dominated."
Board members praised the students and thanked advisers, coaches and district staff for supporting opportunities that build leadership and career skills. The board invited the recognized students and teams to pose for photographs and encouraged the community to attend upcoming district events where the students will be honored.
The board’s recognition covered multiple agenda items and did not include any formal action beyond ceremonial acknowledgement. The district said it will continue to support these programs through classroom offerings and extracurricular funding.
