Barrington H.S. wins Reserve Cup

BARRINGTON – Barrington High School has been certified as the Rhode Island state champions of the 2011 Reserve Cup Challenge, after six overtime questions.
The team of five students beat out ten state high school teams to represent Rhode Island in the sixth Reserve Cup Challenge at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston on Nov. 2.
The students, Brenden Forte, Stephen Lamontagne, Jack Liang, Matt Groetelaars and Rahul Chander, were coached by business teacher Karen Proule.
The team began the first round of the competition on Oct. 26 with all eleven schools. On Nov. 2 Barrington went up against four other Rhode Island teams; East Greenwich, Smithfield, Chariho and Tolman.
“Winning isn’t everything, but after a couple of years of being so close, it’s gratifying to go all the way, especially in such a dramatic fashion,” Proule said in a news release. “The students were both excited and exhausted after all of the overtime rounds.”
The Reserve Cup Challenge is sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. In a game-show format, New England student teams are challenged on their knowledge of personal finance, economics and the Federal Reserve system.
The teams make it to Boston after first competing in state competitions which are webcast from Boston. The state champions go on to compete for the “Reserve Cup.”
This year in the sate finals, six overtime questions were needed to determine the 2011 Rhode Island champion. Barrington and East Greenwich were deadlocked until the sixth question was posed.
Jim Hedemark, executive director of the Rhode Island Jump$tart Coalition, which promotes the Challenge in Rhode Island, remarks,
“Six overtimes in a state final is largely unprecedented,” said. Jim Hedemark, executive director of the Rhode Island Jump$tart Coalition, which promotes the challenge in Rhode Island.
Hedemark said he is confident the Reserve Cup honor will return to Rhode Island.
In 2007, a team from North Providence High School won the New England Reserve Cup.