Brian Boyce
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
After nearly two hours of intellectual battle, four Otter Creek Middle School students proved masters of the world.
“Yes, we’ve been laboring, it’s been arduous. But finally, after two years we did it,” Otter Creek eighth grader Jared Wells said after his team toppled perennial champ Woodrow Wilson at the 20th Annual Geography Quiz Bowl.
The Sarah Scott Middle School gymnasium was packed with the parents and families of 10 Wabash Valley middle school teams competing in the quiz bowl Wednesday evening. The competition kicked off at 7 p.m. and didn’t conclude until 8:45 p.m. A total of 65 geography questions were asked in the contest’s four rounds.
Bryan Taylor of the Kiwanis Club of Terre Haute, served as co-coordinator of the event and noted how well this year’s electronic scoring system was working. “Actually, it’s going really well,” he said during the intermission before the final round took place.
Ross Cadick, a U.S. history teacher at Sarah Scott, explained the new system works on a radio frequency. Each team was given a clicker, and after answering their question, would hit “A” if they’d been correct or “B” if they were wrong. A teacher sat at each table to supervise. The clickers allowed for instant scoring updates as Otter Creek led the pack going into the final round.
Cameron Craig, a geography/climatologist with Eastern Illinois University, created the questions.
“I’ve been doing it since 2000,” he said of the area program. The goal, he said, is to challenge students with questions about a world in which names of nations change constantly. “It’s a challenge to come up with the questions because I’m used to teaching college students.”
Questions ranged from naming locations and historical data to identifying pictures of nations.
Otter Creek maintained a comfortable lead throughout the rounds, ending the finals with a total of 700 points for its first win in years. Cross-town rival Woodrow Wilson has won the bowl four consecutive years, and six out of the last seven.
“I’m just excited because I’m a sixth grader and this is my first year in it,” Otter Creek student Harry Matthews said.
Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.
