Academic team's efforts far from 'trivial'

From left, Nathan Gibbons, Greg High, Michelle Callahan and Joey Vogl prepare to hit the buzzer for their respective teams as they await the next question during a recent academic team practice session. The regular practices help the team members hone their skills as they prepare for regional academic bowl competitions against schools in the Treasure Valley. Photo by Brian S. Orban

A handful of students from local schools continue to build their understanding of academic subjects and general trivia while testing that knowledge during a series of competitions against other Treasure Valley schools.

Hand-picked by teachers from Hacker Middle School and Mountain Home Junior High School, the 14-person Academic Bowl team builds on each student's desire to learn, according to team coach Suzanne Humphrey.

Brandon Duncan, one of the team's sixth graders, was at home recovering from the H1N1 flu when the school called his mother to let him know he was on the squad. He hoped to earn a seat on the team to follow in the footsteps of one of his friends, who was part of the team last year.

"I felt I had the capacity to do well, especially with my good study skills," he said.

Duncan admits he learned "tons" from his experiences on the team. In particular, he relishes opportunities to learn about various diseases and viruses, which fascinate the youngster.

"I'm trying to get into stuff to expand my knowledge in a broad range of categories," he said. "This is a fun way to learn things I didn't know before."

"These students enjoy this type of challenge," Humphrey added. "They enjoy this sort of thing; to improve their general knowledge on a variety of subjects. It's refreshing to see students so excited in wanting to learn."

Similar to popular trivia board games and TV shows, the academic bowls require students to build on their understanding of core school subjects, news headlines, historical figures, current celebrities and more. Students from both schools gather at Hacker regularly to hold what some might consider a mini-quiz show, where Humphrey quizzes the students to encourage them to brush up on their weaker topics while fostering teamwork.

With one regional tournament already under their belt, the Mountain Home team traveled to Boise on Jan. 19 to compete in the third of this year's six planned events. The squad took on students from Treasure Valley Christian Schools as well as Vallivue, Syringa, Kuna, Middleton and Sage Valley schools.

Each academic tournament features three rounds with five students from each school competing in each round.

In the opening round, judges asked students 10 questions that focused on current events with some questions dealing with the recent earthquake in Haiti. With the questions in hand, students wrote their answers on index cards. Schools received 10 points for each correct answer with no penalties for wrong ones.

Questions in the second round came from six predetermined categories, including famous historical figures, mathematics, cartography and monsters. In this round, each team answered one question from each category, receiving 10 additional points for each right answer.

The competition's final level featured a speed round featuring 40 questions on a variety of subjects with students earning 10 points for correct answers and a 10-point penalty for wrong responses.

Allison Cruser, a sixth grader, tackled one of the social studies questions at last week's event: "What is title of our nation's national anthem?" She earned 10 points for the team for correctly identifying the Star Spangled Banner.

Meanwhile, Duncan gave the Mountain Home team an additional 10 points for identifying the lightning rod as the device Benjamin Franklin created to protect homes from the destructive force of lightning.

Sage Valley students walked away with top honors at this month's event with Treasure Valley Christian Schools and Vallivue rounding out the top three schools.

The results from this tournament didn't discourage the Mountain Home team, Humphrey said.

"(We) plan on making a big comeback in February," she added.

Mountain Home's team features plenty of rookies with nine sixth graders, a trio of seventh graders with an eighth-grade veteran returning to the squad. They missed out on the year's first competition following a late start but Humphrey said this fledgling team can go toe to toe with older, more experienced teams from other schools.

"We have a fairly young team going up against teams made up primarily of eighth graders," the coach said. Despite their limited exposure to the academic tournaments, Mountain Home did fairly well in its first outing earlier in the school year.

Humphrey commended the students for their efforts, adding that her students continue to improve as the season continues.

"These are bright students, and (competing) gives all of them a chance to shine," Humphrey said. "It a positive thing for them to know so many things, especially in terms of academics."

The Mountain Home academians travel to Caldwell on Feb. 16 to compete at the InterValley League Academic Quiz Bowl at Syringa.

Members of the team include Rachel Boyce, Michelle Callahan, Brandon Caraballo, Allison Cruser, Brandon Duncan, Takoda Fiscus, Nathan Gibbons, Greg High, Macey Holland, Leslie Hyde, Ian McMahan, Elisa Miller, Aaron Spencer and Joey Vogel.