SCHOLAR'S BOWL TEAM TAKES 2ND AT STATE
April 19, 2011
The WCHS Scholar's Bowl Team earned the second place trophy at the State I-A Division II State Championship tournament Saturday, February 12, 2011, at Natoma, Kansas The WCHS team of Catherine Jenkinson, Cody Pearce, Miranda Mai, Clay Schemm, Dalton Walker, and Darby Magwire won 8 out of 10 rounds during the day, losing only to Central Christian of Hutchinson, which had three seniors on its team. Central Christian's record was 9-1 for the day.
Teammates are allowed to confer until one hits the buzzer or time runs out. Sometimes the teammates do confer, but more often simply answer in an effort to beat the other team to the buzzer. Buzzing in for the Wildcats were Juniors Catherine Jenkinson (23), Cody Pearce (7), Miranda Mai (5), and Freshman Clay Schemm (7), including individual efforts and team conferences.
Schemm hit the button with the team's first correct answer of the day with the first English language questions in Round 1, answering "assonance" as the term used to describe repetition of similar vowel sounds. Freshman Dalton Walker followed immediately by supplying the answer to the question of poet John Milton's handicap: blindness. The team beat Northern Valley 60-20 and went on to defeat St. John's of Beloit 40-30, when Jenkinson answered the tie-breaker with Navajo as the name of the tribe of the Native Americans known as "codetalkers" in World War II.
The team lost 20-40 to Central Christian but went on to beat Norwich and Healy, and went into the finals tied with three other teams with 4-1 records.
Their first playoff round was another tough rematch against St. John's: Mai quickly calculated the pH of a solution with a hydronic concentration of .01 mole/liter: 2, and Jenkinson names Thomas Paine as the Revolutionary period author of The Rights of Man. The teams were tied again until the last question, when Pearce made the difference with the answer to the year in review question of which network fired Juan Williams in 2010: NPR.
Schemm was quick on the buzzer with five correct answers in the playoff round against Axtell (60-10). Jenkinson scored in every round and hit four against Western Valley, Healy, and Natoma. Pearce and Mai provided key point in numerous rounds. The team beat Natoma and Frankfort, and went tied at 8-1 with Central Christian, which had lost to Tipton. Central Christian beat WCHS 40-20 again and took first place.
Natoma's hosting of the event was outstanding, The opening introduction ceremony was MC'd by an announcer with a radio-show voice, complete with blaring background music and dramatic lead-ins for each of the 12 competing teams. The Huskies took the stage to the tune of "Who Let the Dogs Out, " and the Wildcats walked on to the tune of "Replay". Audience seating was available in every classroom, and concessions operated all day. (WCHS) alum Aaron Homburg is the superintendent at Natoma).
The team members were glad to have all of their parents and many other friends, relatives, and teachers in the audience. As a young team, they hope to return to the state tournament next year. Jacalyn Mai is the WCHS scholars' bowl team sponsor. Larry O'Connor is the activities director, and organized an enthusiastic faculty and student send-off and supper for the team.
