ALLENWOOD, N.J. - TelAve -- ALLENWOOD, N.J. - Thirteen students from Ambassador Christian Academy (ACA) earned international recognition this spring after competing in the 2026 Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) International Christian STEM Competition (ICSC) at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona.

More than 120 middle and high school students from Christian schools across the United States, the Dominican Republic, and Singapore gathered for the two-day event, where students tackled real-world challenges in aerospace engineering, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics, and data analytics. The competition encourages innovation while integrating academic excellence with a biblical worldview.

Ambassador Christian Academy brought 13 students who formed four competition teams, earning two first-place finishes, a prestigious Team Choice Award, and a School Choice Award recognizing the school's outstanding participation.

The school's Artificial Intelligence team, Synthesizer AI, Allen Henderson (captain), Lizzie Marsango, Shealynn Barker, and Soriah Zakhary, captured first place in the M.AI.D. for Music challenge.

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ACA's Data Analytics team, Snacktastic Analyzers, Amalia Serenelli (captain), Breckyn Kline, and Abby Peasland, also earned first place in the Snack Quest challenge. The team received the coveted ACSI/GCU Team Choice Award, selected as the top team among all STEM challenge participants regardless of category.

In the aerospace engineering competition, ACA's Flight Force team, Jack Weaver (captain), Michael Dunne, and Luke Rosenberger, placed fourth out of 13 teams, while Alpha-o-space, Isaac Lipp (captain), Luke Bischoff, and Ben Weckesser, finished fifth in the same field.

In addition to the student awards, Ambassador Christian Academy received the GCU/ACSI School Choice Award, recognizing the school for going above and beyond throughout the international competition.

"Our students represented Ambassador Christian Academy with excellence," said Mr. Phillip Beachy, STEM Coordinator and Math Teacher at ACA. "They demonstrated exceptional teamwork, perseverance, and Christlike character while competing against some of the top Christian STEM students from around the world. We are incredibly proud of how they represented our school, our community, and their faith."

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The International Christian STEM Competition is hosted annually by ACSI in partnership with Grand Canyon University and is designed to prepare students to become innovative problem-solvers, servant leaders, and future professionals equipped to make a positive impact through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Ambassador Christian Academy is a private Preschool through 12th Grade Christian school in Allenwood committed to providing a Christ-centered education that develops students academically, spiritually, and personally while preparing them to influence the world for Christ.

https://www.acanj.org/ or https://www.instagram.com/ambassadorchristianwallnj/