Students participating in Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) school programs relied upon their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution, as well as quick-thinking skills and fast reflexes, to show off their academic skills while competing at the second annual Sacramento County Academic Bowl.
The Academic Bowl is a scholastic competition for students participating in SCOE Court, Community, and Special Education programs.
For the second year in a row, Carson Creek Jr./Sr. High School took home the perpetual trophy by winning top honors as students competed as teams in a Super Quiz (Jeopardy! style) competition, and provided team PowerPoint presentations before a live audience. The event was held December 16 inside the Leo A. Palmiter Jr./Sr. High School gymnasium. Carson Creek is an educational program located within the Sacramento County Boys Ranch juvenile facility operated by the Sacramento County Probation Department.
The topic for the 2009-10 Academic Bowl Super Quiz was based on the theme "The U.S. Constitution."
SCOE School Teams
- Carson Creek Jr./Sr. High School (coached by SCOE teacher Jonathon Freer)
- Elinor Lincoln Hickey Jr./Sr. High School (coached by teacher Jack Branson)
- Leo A. Palmiter Jr./Sr. High School (coached by SCOE teachers Lydia Maerdian and Jill Zito)
- North Area Community School (coached by teacher Craig Bradford)
- Gerber Jr./Sr. High School (coached by Rex Buie)
"You have made genuine sacrifices in order to study and prepare for this day. Your teachers, coaches, families, and supporters also have made personal sacrifices to be here with you," Sacramento County Superintendent David W. Gordon told the competitors. "I promise that you will look back on this day with a great sense of pride and accomplishment because you achieved so much by working hard and supporting one other."
"Just by the mere fact that you all put in such a tremendous amount of time preparing for this event proves to all of us that all of you are winners," Deputy Superintendent Marty Cavanaugh told the students.
Academic Bowl teams consist of five members. Each school can field as many teams as they would like. The first round of the competition takes place at each school where teams compete against each other to qualify for the final competition. The highest-scoring teams move on to the round two Academic Bowl finals, which were held at the Palmiter campus.
Team awards and individual medals were presented at the Academic Bowl Awards Luncheon that immediately followed the Academic Bowl finals. Lunch was provided by students participating in the Culinary Arts program.
For more information about the Sacramento County Academic Bowl, call (916) 228-2660.