On Friday, April 20, 2018, the State Economics Governor’s Challenge took place at Capital One in Richmond, VA, and a group of Midlo’s elite economics students. Juniors Alessandra Taliaferro, Evan Fournet, Victoria “Ruby” Willoughby, and senior Miranda Houston, were chosen by Economics and Personal Finance teacher Mrs. Monica Van Arsdale to partake in the David Ricardo Division challenge, a competition in which up to 12 teams in each division compete in the championship. Dressed to impress, they left school for a field trip they would remember forever. Fournet shared, “The best part of the trip was being with my friends.”

From 11:00 am to 2:30 pm, it was game time. Schools across Virginia competed for the spot at Nationals, which will be held New York. All of the teams waited patiently before an instructor administered the individual test; later, the group also completed a test.  The determining score to compete in the Quiz Bowl was compiled from the individual scores for each group averaged together. After testing, the four Midlothian students sat in an auditorium, waiting for their results.  Finally, announcers recognized all of the teams, and the competitors who advanced faced off in the Quiz Bowl to determine the top team. Appomattox Regional Governor’s School took the win for the day.

Following the announcement, the competitors enjoyed lunch together and savored the experience. Houston disagreed with Fournet, arguing, “My favorite part was the lunch.” After lunch, the Midlo team watched personal finance teams go through a similar process. Taliaferro remembers the day fondly, saying, “Even though we didn’t score high, it was still a good experience, and I would do it again.”