May 5, 2011M
Four eighth-grade students from Moorefield Middle School demonstrated their outstanding knowledge of West Virginia history, culture and heritage when they won the second annual West Virginia State History Bowl, hosted by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, at the Culture Center in Charleston on April 26. Losing only one of the six matches in which they participated, the team was the top competitor in the day-long event.
“West Virginia has a proud history and we want our students to know it and be proud of their home state,” said West Virginia Division of Culture and History Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith. “The students who participated in this year’s event have an exceptional knowledge of our state’s history and had a great time demonstrating how much they know.”
The Sissonville Middle School, Kanawha County, team placed second in the challenge. A Shady Spring Middle School, Raleigh County, team placed third and Morgantown’s St. Francis Central Catholic, Monongalia County, placed fourth.
This year, five students were named to the All Tournament team. Those students are Jacob Bennett of Shady Spring Middle School, Tanner Carr of Moorefield Middle School, Rebecca Merrill of Moorefield Middle School, Lily Mirfakhraie of St. Francis Central Catholic and James Shafer of Sissonville Middle School. The fifth student, Ellie McClung of Sissonville Middle School, was named Most Valuable Player.
“The History Bowl challenge questions are taken directly from the quick quizzes and daily quizzes featured on the State Archives and History web site,” Reid-Smith said. “In the two years since we began the tournament, the hits on those quizzes have risen by 150 percent per day. And, some of the teachers we talked to have said that their students’ scores in the Golden Horseshoe exams have climbed as a result of the intense studying students are doing for History Bowl.”
The 16 teams that competed at the state level this year were selected because they were the champion and runner-up teams from eight regional History Bowl tournaments held throughout the state in the Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) districts. (A complete list of teams follows)
“The RESA coordinators, school superintendents, principals and teachers around the state were very supportive of the program.” Reid-Smith said. “In our first year, we had just one tournament, in Charleston, with 18 teams. This year, we were able to have 61 teams from 45 schools with the regional events. Our goal is to soon have at least one team from every county participating in the regional tournaments.”
For more information about the History Bowl Tournament, contact Bryan Ward, assistant director of archives and history for the Division and coordinator of the tournament, at (304) 558-0230.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The Division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the Division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
2011 West Virginia State History Bowl Teams
Chapmanville Middle School, Logan County
- Nick Cyfers
- Matthew Dingess
- Tristan Gilman
- Tristan Thompson
Edison Middle School, Wood County
- Sierra Alexander
- Ty Dobson
- Michael Inman
- Alex Schreckengost
Fairview Middle School, Marion County
- Mikala Mays
- Morgan Pethtel
- Mackenzie Shaw
- Tiffany Workman
Frankfort Middle School, Mineral County
- Branson Anderson
- Aaron Borho
- Ame Leath
- Steve Stump
Horace Mann Middle School, Kanawha County
- Logan Neccuzi
- Christian Rowe
- Mark Schlies
- Joe Schwartz
Jackson Middle School, Wood County
- Elissa Filozof
- Margaret McGraw
- Noah Mancuso
- Swathi Mukkamala
Moorefield Middle School, Hardy County
- Tanner Carr
- Muryssa George
- Rebecca Merrill
- Adam Sirk
Richwood Middle School, Nicholas County
- Carly Adkins
- Morgan Amick
- John Bard
- Alexis Shaver
St. Francis Central Catholic, Monongalia County
- Fred Dering
- John Koler
- Matt Minard
- Lily Mirfakhraie
Shady Spring Middle School, Raleigh County (two teams)
- Emily Akers
- Jacob Bennett
- Ally Carter
- Steven Chhabra
- Alexis Coalson
- Jackie Higgins
- Levi Messer
- Taylor Stewart
Sissonville Middle School, Kanawha County
- Erica Garnes
- Ellie McClung
- Candice Pritt
- James Shafer
Summersville Middle School, Nicholas County
- Wyatt Bell
- Samuel Fox
- Dustin Martin
- Devin Spinks
Wayne Middle School, Wayne County
- Adrianna Browing
- Megan McSweeny
- Natasha Napier
- Allison Riley
Wellsburg Middle School, Brooke County (two teams)
- Calvin Burdette
- Matthew Jackson
- Jennifer Luck
- Jessica McKee
- Austin Oldaker
- David Postlethwait
- James Rice
- Sydney Stewart
