MSSD Wins Third Place in Mid-Atlantic/At-Large Regional Academic Bowl, Secures Place at Nationals

This year's Mid-Atlantic/At-Large Regional Academic Bowl was hosted by the Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf (MKSD) in New Jersey. Gallaudet University established the Academic Bowl for Deaf and Hard of Hearing High School Students in 1997 with the goal of promoting academic competition among school teams. Quiz tournaments, in which teams of high school students compete against each other in local, regional, and national events, have gained wide popularity among high schools and colleges throughout the country.

The champion of this year's Mid-Atlantic/At-Large Regional Academic Bowl was Mountain Lakes High School. Maryland School for the Deaf came in at second place; the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD) at third place; and the Delaware School for the Deaf at fourth place.

The MSSD Academic Bowl team members were senior Martha Wolcott, juniors Ray McCall and Oliver Lee, and sophomore Brennan Terhune-Cotter, and the coaches were Holly Bullard and Sara Stallard.

The Academic Bowl competition consists of a question-and-answer game of general knowledge and quick recall. Questions are drawn from the following categories: History and Government; Language and Literature; Science and Technology; Geography, Mathematics; The Arts; Deaf Studies; Current Events; and Popular Culture, Leisure, and Sports. The first, second, and third place teams in each regional bowl, as well as one to-be-determined fourth place team from among the regions, are invited to compete at this year's all-expenses-paid Academic Bowl National Championship to be held at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., April 24-27.

Not all the focus was on academics. Contestants also enjoyed activities set up by MKSD. "On Friday night, Sorenson sponsored a trip to Dave and Buster's in Philadelphia. The night was filled with bowling, games, and a buffet for the teams. Saturday night after the championship match, students participated in a dance sponsored by MKSD's Student Council," said Heather Osowski, MKSD high school teacher and host coordinator for the Academic Bowl. "We had a deejay, pizza, cake, and a special surprise-two large screen Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero games."

Best of luck to the MSSD Academic Bowl team as they compete in the Nationals! Mark your calendars and bookmark Gallaudet University's website to see the live webcast on April 26 at 7 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) and find out who wins the Academic Bowl National Championship.