Students make high marks in test of tests

By Michelle Wallace

LITTLE ROCK — The Bauxite High School Quiz Bowl team might have been more surprised than anyone that they won the Arkansas Governor’s Quiz Bowl tournament.

“We didn’t see this coming,” Coach Suellen Watson said with a smile.

The team members were pretty stunned, too. “Wow,” was just about all they could manage to say about their big win in the prestigious competition where trivia meets brains and fast fingers.

They were full of all the right answers when they needed to be, though. The team secured the title for division 3A at the Quiz Bowl competition held last month in Conway.

Other Tri-Lakes area schools came out winners as well. Benton placed second in the 6A division, and Malvern won fourth place in 5A.

Two students from these schools hold the distinction of Most Valuable Players in their divisions - Keenan Gillispie of Bauxite High School was the 3A MVP, and Mariah Nehus of Benton High School was the 6A MVP. They scored more points than anyone else in their divisions.

In addition to Gillispie, a senior, Bauxite’s team members are Christina Cordell and Cooper VanDevender, both seniors; and Sara Armstrong, Hayden Davis, Ryan LaMere and Jesse Lobbs, all sophomores.

Math is Gillispie’s strong area, Watson said, adding that each member brings their areas of expertise to the team to make for a well-rounded group. VanDevender and La-Mere joined the Bauxite Quiz Bowl team just a few months ago and added another dimension to the team’s stores of knowledge. VanDevender came back to Bauxite this semester from the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts. LeMere, who is the only member of theQuiz Bowl team to not also be in Watson’s gifted and talented program, also just joined the team.

“Those two additions made a l l t he d i f ference i n ou r wealth of knowledge,” Watson noted.

She thought the team had a few other obstacles that they were able to work through, including the fact that two of the members couldn’t participate in a couple of other tournaments because of other school activities. In addition, Watson has other duties to care for during Quiz Bowl tournaments as she is a member of the Quiz Bowl board. Sherrie McAdow coaches the students during tournaments and on other occasions.

The Bauxite team prepared for the big day by practicing one day a week after school.

It was a bit “daunting and intimidating” to take on the team they ended up beating in the finals - Episcopal Collegiate, a private school in Little Rock.

“They are a good team,” Watson said of the rival school.

Both teams performed well in the last round.

“It was a nail-biter,” Watson said of the last game.

In addition to Benton’s Nehus, the MVP and a junior, players on the Benton High team include fellow juniors David Campbell, Will Dwane, Matthew Eldridge, Rachael Landon, Ashley Pitcock and Ryan Shell; and sophomore Michael Layton. They are coached by Bill Waskom.

Malvern’s Quiz Bowl teammembers are Jackson Ables, Alston Hayes, Justin Jackson, Dylan Jacobs, Samantha Pye, Cody Standifer, Kanika Topiwala, Destiny Willis, and Justin Yamauchi.

“We were happy to finish in the top four, but it was a bit disappointing as well because we lost a very close match in the semifinals that would have put us into position to play for the state championship,” Malvern Coach John Jackson said.

They won the regional championship this year and have won several invitational tournaments over the last few years. In the Arkansas Governor’s Quiz Bowl, they were state champions in 2006, won regionals in 2006 and 2008and qualified for the state championship every year for four years from 2004-2008.

The team also performs well at the National Academic Quiz Tournament Small School Championship. Among their accomplishments in that tournament are a third-place win in the national championships in 2006, the same year they won the Arkansas Governor’s Quiz Bowl.

The team is looking forward to attending the national championships in Chicago.

“The best is yet to come,” Jackson said. “We work hard at winning but we also have a lot of fun, especially at the national championships. The view from the top of Sears Tower is breathtaking. We are looking forward to seeing it again this year.”

Tri-Lakes, Pages 71 on 05/22/2008