This bowl is for the brains

Buzzers resounded throughout the Polson Middle School library last week as teams huddled, debating answers to trivia questions, during the second meeting of this year’s Lake County Middle School Academic Bowl.

Four schools in Lake County participated in the event from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. last Wednesday.

“I think this is a real positive experience for all the students involved,” oral question reader Gale Decker said. “It is good healthy competition that emphasizes academics.”

Polson, Ronan, Mission and Charlo middle schools competed against each other in an hour and a half timed written test and a 50 question oral test.

Charlo middle school ended up taking first for the second time this year.

Each school worked in a team of 10 to answer 50 questions on the written test with questions worth two points each. The written test started in the morning and subjects included science, math, history and English.

Courtney Taylor, co-captain of the Charlo middle school team, said her team’s strategy was to rip the test into different sections and pass each section around so everyone on the team had a chance to answer each question. Her team then discussed the disputed answers.

After the written test concluded, the teams worked in two groups of five to answer oral questions.

Sitting around a table, buzzers in hand, the students listened attentively to the questions asked by Decker. The first team that clicked their buzzer got the first chance to answer the question.

“I like the oral test, because it gives me an adrenaline rush,” Charlo co-captain Trinceton Brown said.

Oral questions consisted of the same topics as the written test, but with a few additional topics such as arts, sports and current events.

Each Charlo team member wore his or her favorite football jersey, while the other teams wore their school team shirts.

Charlo’s academic bowl coach, Keith Grebetz, said that his team has a blast competing in the academic bowl meets.   

“We practice every day after school, not because I want the kids to, but because they love it,” Grebetz said.

Decker, who has been involved in the Lake County Academic Bowl for 25 years, said the bowl was created about 30 years ago.

“The teachers had a discussion, and noticed there was a lot of emphasis on athletics,” Decker said. “We wanted to create a program that revolved around academics.

“I’ve had kids graduate from high school and they come back and tell me how much fun they had in the academic bowl while they were in middle school.”

The next meet is March 3 in Ronan and the Lake County Academic bowl concludes with a March 23 meet at Mission Middle School.