West Chicago Community High School won first place in the 29th annual Illinois LifeSmarts State Competition. The competition took place on February 25th and was hosted at West Chicago Community High School.
Members of the winning team were Niya Patel (Captain), Elio Bregu, Alex Jacobo, and Keelie Steward. The team will now compete at the National LifeSmarts Competition taking place April 24-27 in Chicago. The team is coached by Don Zabelin.
The West Chicago team advanced to the final round and faced DePaul College Prep for the state title. In the double-elimination format, DePaul College Prep needed to win the last two matches, while West Chicago needed to win one of the last two matches. DePaul dominated the first match by a score of 65-25. In the final match, West Chicago gained momentum and won convincingly 80-45.
“The team really stepped up and never lost their concentration after the first loss. This is a team of sophomores who are just starting their LifeSmarts journey, and their ability to come back was truly outstanding,” Zabelin said.
West Chicago had a second team compete that finished in third place. Members included Robert Smoley (Captain), Michelle Guevara, Jake Fosness, Jason Thunberg, Allison Montalvo, and Chris Lahtaw.
LifeSmarts is a program of the National Consumers League. For more information, go to www.lifesmarts.org.