A student team from International Academy Central of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan won the 2011 Euro Challenge National Competition in New York City on April 27, 2011. At the final round of this year’s Euro Challenge competition, held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 5 teams emerged as winners. Students from International Academy Central in Michigan (1st place), Montclair High School in New Jersey (2nd place), Rumson-Fair Haven High School in New Jersey (3rd place), Westfield High School in New Jersey (4th place), and Collegiate School in Virginia (5th place) beat top teams from 25 high schools on the final day of intense competition. Now in its 6th year, Euro Challenge is an academic contest providing a unique and exciting educational opportunity for high school students from across the US to learn about the European Union – the largest economic partner of the US – and the economies that share its single currency, the euro. The winning teams will receive monetary awards provided by the Moody’s Foundation, along with a trip to Washington, DC, for the top two teams.

Euro Challenge 2011 - International Academy Central presentation from Euro Challenge on Vimeo.

International Academy Central advanced to the national competition after winning the Michigan regional competition on April 1. Regional competition was hosted by the Center for European Studies-European Union Center (CES-EUC) at the University of Michigan. Other high schools competing in Michigan’s regional round were International Academy East, International Academy Macomb, and Lakeland High School.

The competition continues to expand nationally. This year, 79 high school teams from 15 states (Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Wisconsin) competed in the contest. The Euro Challenge is a program launched and supported by the Delegation of the European Union to the United States. Other partner organizations include: The Moody’s Foundation; Credit Suisse; The Federal Reserve Banks of New York, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta (Miami branch) and Cleveland (Pittsburgh branch); w!se (Working in Support of Education); European Union Centers of Excellence at Florida International University/University of Miami, University of North Carolina, University of Michigan, University of Pittsburgh, and University of Wisconsin; The European Union Centers at University of Illinois, and University of Indiana; and the European Union Studies Center at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.