Two teams from Bellevue East High School swept the annual Nebraska Economics Challenge State Championship on March 31.

Twenty teams from nine Nebraska high schools took part in the competition aimed at measuring students’ knowledge of economics. The competition is hosted by the Nebraska Council on Economic Education and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Center for Economic Education.

“It was very encouraging to see the depth of knowledge and understanding from this year’s participants,” said Jennifer Davidson, president of the Nebraska Council on Economic Education and assistant professor of practice in economics at Nebraska. “This year we ramped up the difficulty level, and these amazing students rose to the occasion. This is a testament to the teachers in our communities across Nebraska working hard to ensure students are given the economic skills they need to be better workers, business owners, consumers, savers and investors.”

The winning team in the Adam Smith Division for advanced placement, international baccalaureate and honors students from Bellevue East included Darren Brinkerhoff, Morgan Gallagher, Marina Madrigal and Kelly Speltz, and coach PK Simmons. The Adam Smith runner-up team from Millard North High School included Emma Clausen, Priya Kukreja, Vighnesh Subramaniam and Justin Xiong, and coach Jeff Gustafson.

The winning team in the David Ricardo Division for single-semester economics students from Bellevue East included Michael Ermitano, Elizabeth Foral, Breck O’Grady and Andrew Sansone. The David Ricardo runner-up team from Waverly High School included Reza Majlessi, Samuel Schneider, Madison Tabor and Arielle Wiedenbeck, and coach Trent Goldsmith.

Both championship teams advanced to the national semifinal competition on April 25. The top four teams from that round will advance to compete nationally in New York City in May.