AJHS boys bring home 20 golds and 17 silvers from World Scholar’s Cup Bangkok Round

Ateneo de Manila Junior High School (AJHS) students Sean Go (La Storta/10-Ferreres), Jesu Manzano (La Storta/9-Fausti), EJ Porta (Cardoner/10-Canisius), Daniel Park (Pamplona/9-Southwell), Renzu Santos (La Storta/10-Garnier), and Sian Trasmontero (Pamplona/10-Whitbread) of the AJHS Debaters org brought home a total of 20 golds and 17 silvers from the World Scholar’s Cup Bangkok Round, which was held at Bangkok Patana School in Thailand from March 25-26, 2023. The Ateneans were the only contingent from a Philippine school at the Cup, which attracted contestants (a.k.a. “scholars”) from Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and the United Kingdom.   

Of this total, three golds and a silver were each won by Go, Manzano & Porta of Team 931 for their team events, while Park, Santos & Trasmontero of Team 930 won two silvers each for their team events.

For the individual medal haul, EJ Porta led the AJHS contingent by collecting seven golds and one silver for individual challenges.

Here is a detailed listing of the medals won at the WSC Bangkok Round by the Ateneans, arranged by team and by individual:

Team Awards

Go, Manzano & Porta of Team 931: three golds (Team Bowl, Team Debate, Globals Qualifier) + one silver (Team Writing)

Park, Santos & Trasmontero of Team 930: two silvers (Team Bowl, Team Debate)

Awards for Individual Challenges

EJ Porta: seven golds (Writing, Debate, History, Literature, Special Area, School Top Scholar, Champion Scholar) + one silver (Social Studies)

Sian Trasmontero: one gold (Social Studies) + three silvers (Debate, History, Special Area)

Sean Go: three silvers (Debate, Writing, History)

Daniel Park:  one gold (Collaborative Writing) + one silver (Debate)     

Jesu Manzano: one gold (Debate)

Renzu Santos: one gold (Art)

Cumulative (team + individual) medal haul

EJ Porta: ten golds + two silvers

Sean Go: three golds + four silvers

Sian Trasmontero: one gold + five silvers

Jesu Manzano: four golds + one silver

Daniel Park:  one gold + three silvers

Renzu Santos: one gold + two silvers

Thanks to their multiple medal-winning performances at the Bangkok Round, all six Ateneans have qualified to advance to the World Scholar’s Cup Globals, which will be held in Seoul, South Korea from July 14-19, 2023.

Founded in Korea in 2007, the World Scholar’s Cup (WSC) prides itself on being different from the traditional academic competition, one that celebrates the joy of learning and is as rewarding for the team that came in first as the one that came in last. It is an enrichment opportunity that motivates students to not just demonstrate their existing strengths, but to discover new ones. 

The WSC is an inclusive, interdisciplinary, team-oriented competition designed to motivate students of all backgrounds to discover new strengths and practice new skills, and inspire a global community of future scholars and leaders.