News…

BUCKHANNON, W.Va. – The top eight teams from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History’s play-in round of the 2018 West Virginia History Bowl on Saturday, March 17, at Buckhannon-Upshur High School in Buckhannon, Upshur County, advance to the State Championship Tournament in Charleston. St. Joseph Parish School Team 1, with students Laya Chennuru, Calder Funk, R.J. Kelley and Jackie Power, won the History Bowl Play-in Tournament. Belington Middle School, with students Maggie Haller, Cadie Kittle, Bella McNaboe and Gracie Miller, was the runner-up.

The additional six teams to advance include Mountaineer Middle School Team 1, with students Ian Gillespie, Diego Reyes, Rachel Shockley and Nathan Vest; Peterstown Middle School Team 2, with students Brianna Anderson, Kasadee Ferguson, Jakobey Meadows and Brianna Smith; Frankfort Middle School Team 2, with students Emma Craddock, Jillian Griffith, Jonathan Lewis and Sophie Lord; St. Joseph Parish School Team 2, with students Natalie Diedericks, Dorothy Hinkle, Inez Ortiz and Elizabeth Scott; Frankfort Middle School Team 1, with students John Dennison, Brynne Hartung, Brody Ritchie and Tiffany Sites; and Mountain View Middle School Team 2, with Lauren Ballard, Sara Collins, Lilly Jackson and Olivia Vass.

Thirty-five teams participated in the play-in competition. It was open to all schools throughout the state that were unable to compete in its regional tournament or wanted a second chance to compete in the State History Bowl tournament.

The West Virginia History Bowl features questions compiled by the staff of Archives and History about the state’s architecture, arts, culture, geography, government, history, people, literature and sports. The Archives and History staff has developed more than 2,000 questions for its online Quick Quizzes. Teams that are preparing for the History Bowl tournaments may use the Archives and History Daily Trivia and Quick Quizzes as helpful tools from the division’s website, www.wvculture.org/history.

Eighth graders in public, private and homeschool education programs are eligible to compete on the four-person teams in double-elimination tournament play. The regional winners and runner-up teams from each region along with the eight play-in qualifiers advance to the state tournament, which will take place April 24 at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston.

For more information about the annual competition, contact Matt McGrew, History Bowl coordinator, at (304) 558-0230 or Matt.McGrew@wv.gov.

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the Office of Secretary of Education and the Arts. 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.

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