Local middle schools compete in Academic Bowl
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CHARLO – You could hear a pin drop Feb. 8 in Charlo’s gym, even through 40 middle school students sat huddled together, competing for academic bragging rights. Ten students in grades six through eight formed teams from Mission, Charlo, Ronan and Polson Schools in the Academic Bowl.
Students answered various questions from educational subjects including math, science, history and English, but were also asked “Who wrote the Harry Potter series?” to “Who is the Lake County Superintendent?” The bowl is split into two rounds, requiring teams to take a core test, followed by oral rounds, where five of the 10 students from each team go head-to-head to score as many points as possible.
The academic bowl is nothing new for Lake County schools, as it’s been around for years. But, a recent growth in popularity has made for stiff competition.
“We have a wide variety of kids who are enthusiastic and well-rounded,” Charlo High School educator Keith Grebetz said. “This is not a ‘nerds only’ thing; it’s very popular. At tryouts, there were 20 to 30 kids who wanted to be on the team.”
There are countless benefits for those who join an Academic Bowl team, according to Grebetz, who said the meets boost students’ confidence, and is a great opportunity for local youngsters to meet their peers.
Prior to kicking off the Academic Bowl season, schools host a mixer, where members from all four teams are jumbled together into eight teams of five, allowing the students to become acquainted before heading into the four-tournament season.
“It’s really fun,” Grebetz noted. “You get to see the standout kids.”
Ronan’s team is spearheaded by two enthusiastic coaches, Grebetz added, making “a world of difference” in the level of competition. Those coaches include second-year instructor Jessica Johnson and first-year mentor Bill Becker.
According to Johnson, the biggest advantage for students participating in the bowl is building on what they’ve learned in school.
“They can hone in on the skills used every day in school, and learn from each other,” Johnson said.
Mission coach Stacey Allard’s been coaching her St. Ignatius students for more than 14 years. She says the annual academic competition is good for the students, because it requires good teamwork.
“They have to work together, (and) learn the rules,” Allard said. “They meet kids from all over the country.”
Polson currently sits in first place after the first three meets with a score of 1,737.
Charlo’s 1,364 points are good enough for second, while Ronan remains in third place with 1,327 points.
Mission rounds out the four schools with a total of 1,217 points.
The fourth and final meet of the year will be held Feb. 28 in Polson beginning at 1 p.m.
SUMMARY
The final results for third meet
Polson - 562, Charlo - 483, Ronan - 458, Mission - 384
Score after three rounds:
Polson - 1737, Charlo - 1364, Ronan - 1327, Mission - 1217
