Students participating in special education, community, and continuation school programs used their knowledge about technology in today's world, as well as quick-thinking skills, while competing at the 5th Annual Sacramento County Academic Bowl.
William Daylor High School, from the Elk Grove Unified School District, took home the perpetual trophy by winning top honors. Leo A. Palmiter Jr./Sr. High School and Elinor Lincoln Hickey Jr./Sr. High School finished in second and third places respectively, followed by Gerber Jr./Sr. High School. Palmiter, Hickey, and Gerber are Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) schools.
Gerber Jr./Sr. High School student Peter Nguyen received recognition for his award-winning design of the 2012–13 Academic Bowl T-shirt and program artwork.
The theme was "A World Transformed: Technological Turning Points." The event was held December 12 inside the auditorium at Rosemont High School, in the Sacramento City Unified School District. The Sacramento County Academic Bowl is a competition held each year for students attending community and continuation schools. Students compete on teams in two events centered on a theme. The first event is a Super Quiz (game show style) competition in which students answer questions based on the theme. In the second event, students use a PowerPoint slideshow to deliver a "live" presentation on a specific aspect of the theme.
Students spent time in class and after school to prepare for this demanding competition. In addition to mastering the academic content, which is based on California's content standards, students also learn about teamwork, computer and presentation skills, goal setting, and leadership.
In a pre-event welcoming address, Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools David W. Gordon thanked the students for their participation and reminded them to take pride in their efforts.
"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," Superintendent Gordon said. "I hope that you see your participation in the Academic Bowl as just one more step toward becoming a successful person who can accomplish many things through hard work."
During an awards luncheon catered by the Rosemont High School Culinary Program, Sacramento County Board of Education President Greg Geeting and Vice President Jacquelyn Levy handed out awards and congratulated the team members.