Monroe #1 BOCES wins the Northeast Regional Academic Bowl

Northeast Regional Academic Bowl Held At NY School for the Deaf

Washington, D.C. – March 16, 2016: Monroe #1 BOCES, from Fairport, N.Y., won the Northeast Regional Academic Bowl, held March 10-13, 2016 at the New York School for the Deaf in White Plains, N.Y.  The team will now advance to the National Academic Bowl for Deaf and Hard of Hearing High School Students, to be hosted by Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., April 23-26, 2016.

Established in 1864, Gallaudet University is the world’s only liberal arts university in which all programs and services are designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students.

The Monroe #1 BOCES team is comprised of players Kimberly Caceci, Phelan Conheady (who was also the Most Outstanding Player of the Northeast Regional Academic Bowl), Aidan DiDomenico, and Adriana Gonzalez. The team is coached by Dana Griffin and Debra Reisch.

This year marks the 20^th anniversary of the Academic Bowl. Gallaudet University established the Academic Bowl for deaf and hard of hearing high school students in 1996. The 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 pop culture, leisure, and sports.

Every year, Gallaudet hosts five regional competitions for up to 90 teams of deaf and hard of hearing high school students. Twenty-four teams then advance to the national competition.

Indiana School for the Deaf won the 2016 Midwest Regional Academic Bowl, held in December. Texas School for the Deaf won the 2016 Southwest Regional Academic Bowl, and Rockville High School from Rockville, Md., won the 2016 Southeast Regional Academic Bowl, both held in February 2016. California School for the Deaf, Riverside won the Western Regional competition in early March.  

“The Academic Bowl is a way to engage deaf and hard of hearing students from all over the country in learning about a variety of topics in a fun and unique way,” said Jesse Saunders, associate director of Youth Programs and Outreach. “The students who make it to the national competition have the chance to put those skills to the test while networking with peers and visiting our historic campus. We are proud of all the teams who participated in the regional competition and look forward to the national competition in April.”

Gallaudet University, federally chartered in 1864, is a bilingual, diverse, multicultural institution of higher education that ensures the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf and hard of hearing individuals through American Sign Language and English. Gallaudet maintains a proud tradition of research and scholarly activity and prepares its graduates for career opportunities in a highly competitive, technological, and rapidly changing world.