Waiakea High School last month won the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council’s Academic WorldQuest competition.

Nearly 275 high school students statewide fielded rigorous questions on international issues. Waiakea’s winning team included Ana Bitter, Ramsey Goodale, Felix Peng and Kylan Sakata. They will represent Hawaii in an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for the national competition. The Mamoru and Aiko Takitani Foundation sponsored the grand prize.

The competition was decided in a tiebreaker round with Maui’s Seabury Hall, which Waimea beat out for first place by just one point. Second place went to Seabury Hall and third place to Kealakehe High School from the Big Island.

The competition consisted of 60 questions in the following categories: current events, privacy in the digital age, international trade and finance, Asia matters for America, the Arctic and the organization of American states.

In other awards and recognition:

>> Sheena Juliano, Abigail Badua and Shirell Bell were Hawaii award recipients in the Letter to My Parents Contest.

The final contest presentation took place last month at the University of Hawaii- Manoa Campus Center, where 11 finalists recited letters dedicated to their parents or guardians.

The awards were presented to Juliano in the bravery category, Badua for reflection and Bell for the proposal category. Each received $500 sponsored by Kalamansi Books and Things, Filipino Association of University Women and Reiyukai America.

The 2015 Letter to My Parents Contest was organized by Kalamansi Books and Things, Sariling Gawa-Youth Council, Read 2 Succeed Foundation and Reiyukai America. Sponsors were Budget Color Litho, Filipino Association of University Women, BenchPrep, La Raza Unida and Zippy’s.

>> The Parker School debate team won the sweepstakes trophy for the largest number of ballots won at the Nov. 14 Punahou School Non-Qualifying Speech and Debate Tournament on Oahu.

“Despite being the smallest school in the Hawaii Speech League, our 38 debaters won the largest number of winning ballots,” said Carl Sturges, Parker School headmaster and debate coach. Parker was among 18 schools in the statewide tournament, finishing with 62 winning ballots. Punahou came in second with 58.

Top finishers included Parker senior Sivan Najita, who went undefeated in the championship Lincoln- Douglas debate, and freshmen Malia Dills and Emily Fetsch, who both went undefeated in the junior varsity policy debate. Receiving superior ratings were seniors Keaton Farrell, Skyler Pleuss and Dash Cotton; juniors Susie Krall, Tristen Shimata and Cougar Oakes; sophomores Kirk Hubbard, Jaipal Brar, Owen Matsuda, Shen MacKensie, Eitan Machala and Braedon Ingalls; and freshman Zoe Vann. With 38 debaters and seven speech competitors, this was the largest team Parker had ever sent to a tournament.

>> The state Department of Health STD/AIDS Prevention Branch will present the 2015 Annual Suzanne Richmond-Crum Award to Cindy Medeiros.

For nearly 19 years Medeiros has dedicated herself to taking care of individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. She serves as an HIV case manager for the Hawaii Island HIV/AIDS Foundation.

“Cindy has made so many significant accomplishments and outstanding contributions in the area of HIV/AIDS in Hawaii,” said Lenard Allen, a longtime colleague, according to a news release. “She has been steadfast in her dedication to serving all clients equally even those who are the most challenging.”

Allen added, “Whether marching in the Merrie Monarch Parade to keep awareness alive about HIV, working closely with a client on quality of life choices, or educating new employees beginning their careers in the field of HIV/AIDS, Cindy approaches each activity with the same compassion and dedication in her words and manner as she did 19 years ago.”

Suzanne Richmond-Crum died in August 2004 after serving as director of the Hawaii Seropositivity and Medical Management Program of the Department of Health STD/AIDS Prevention Branch for more than 10 years. The award is presented annually to recognize outstanding contributions in providing HIV/AIDS services.