Congratulations to Maddie - and to the very supportive parental units!
And, not to belabor a point, but . . .
If Maddie HAD come to live with me during her 8th grade year, she could have been on this team this year. Dylan and Jordan were mine in their younger years.
Booker T. is the magnet high school that most of my students attend. All of the 8th graders from my Academic Team this year were accepted to BTW, and most plan to try out for the team. Since we were undefeated in both leagues in which we play, Diane is going to be so pleased.
Washington academic team is tops
By ANDREA EGER World Staff Writer
6/11/2008
Booker T. Washington High School's academic bowl team won a national competition in Chicago this week.
The team claimed the top prize at the National Academic Championship, sponsored by Columbus, Ohio-based Questions Unlimited.
The team was composed of recent graduates Billy Chyan, team captain Dylan Hames, Carl Engle-Laird, Susanna Michael and Jordan Rogers, and Onkur Sen, who just completed his sophomore year.
Diana McGinnis and Marilyn Turnelle are the team's coaches.
McGinnis said Washington's team defeated a team from Wilmington, Del., in a close match that was tied 245-245 at the start of the fourth quarter.
More difficult questions were posed during the final quarter in a segment called "Stump the Experts," with correct answers worth 15 to 20 points each.
McGinnis said Rogers came up with the correct answer to a pivotal question about a famous fashion designer that seemed to stump the opposing team as well as his own teammates.
The teams were asked to identify the designer of a pair of pants being modeled in a photo and were given the clue that the designer had recently died.
Rogers correctly answered, "Yves Saint Laurent."
"The other kids were like, 'Huh?' And the other team didn't have a clue," McGinnis said. "Jordan's more into current events and that kind of stuff."
Washington won by a final score of 385-300.
"If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant a tree; if in terms of a hundred years, teach the people." - Confucious
"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn." -- John Cotton Dana
