Crystal Lake Community Consolidated School District 47 recently issued the following announcement.
Lundahl seventh graders Jack Dacy (right center) and David Hronick (left center) took first place at the 32nd annual Tri-County Scholastic Bowl meet in Marengo on May 1.
Scholastic Bowl is an extracurricular club for sixth through eighth graders at Lundahl and other D47 and area middle schools. It is a quiz-based competition that tests players in variety of academic subject areas.
Seventeen middle school teams competed in the regional competition in Marengo, and many of the teams were comprised mainly of eighth graders. After a scheduling conflict resulted in a last-minute cancellation by Lundahl’s eighth grade team, the seventh grade duo took on the challenge. This was the first time in 15 years that the Lundahl team finished in first place.
“The format of this competition is very different from the other meets where only two schools compete,” said Shari Chakoian, sixth grade science teacher and Lundahl’s Scholastic Team coach. Chakoian noted that typical competitions involve students on both teams answering the same question as quickly as possible, trying to beat others to the buzzer. “The competitiveness is as strong as in any physical sport. I've thoroughly enjoyed coaching and getting to know these students who are always anxious to learn something new." The team is also coached by seventh grade language arts / social studies teacher Jessica Wilson.
Neither of the students said they intentionally prepare for Scholastic Bowl competitions. Hronick said he reads a lot of old literature and that his favorite book is “To Kill A Mockingbird.”
“I like being able to test your knowledge,” said Hronick. “I am pretty good at language arts and social studies and Jack is good at math, so we have a pretty convenient team here.”
According to Dacy, the competition draws on random knowledge. “If you want to prepare, you can, but we don’t practice,” he said.
With questions like, “What classical author is associated with Halley’s Comet?” to “What is the square of X + 9?,“ Dacy said it’s a fun thing to do. He also noted he intends to include his Scholastic Bowl experience on his application to the IMSA (Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy) in a few years.
Both boys said they look forward to competing (and winning!) Scholastic Bowl competitions again next year.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Crystal Lake Community Consolidated School District 47
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