May 1, 2014

 News…

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Moorefield Middle School in Hardy County won the West Virginia Division of Culture and History’s fifth annual West Virginia State History Bowl held Tuesday, April 29, at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex.

Fairview Middle School in Marion County was the runner-up in the competition that included 24 teams of eighth graders from 18 middle schools in 15 counties from across the state.

The all-tournament team, made up of students who demonstrated exceptional knowledge and teamwork during the day-long tournament, included Ethan Dillon, Fairview Middle School,  Fairview, Marion County; Peri Gray, Cameron High School Team One, Cameron, Marshall County; Jay Latta, Taylor County Middle School, Grafton, Taylor County; and Camryn Welch, Fairview Middle School, Fairview, Marion County. 

Jeremiah Hines of Moorefield Middle School was named the Most Valuable Player.

“We are proud to host the West Virginia State History Bowl and prouder still of the eighth-grade students who put so much time into preparing for these tournaments,” said Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History. “It is also a tribute to the teachers, parents and advisers who take time to help the students study for the competition and who are committed to ensuring that the students are able to study together and attend the matches. They enjoy the event as much as the students.”

During the first year, a single tournament was held at the Culture Center. Reid-Smith said interest was so strong that the division introduced eight regional competitions the second year, allowing more schools to participate. The winner and runner-up teams from each region attend the statewide tournament. The division added a play-in tournament last year that accommodated schools that were unable to compete in their regional round because of inclement weather and school closings.  It also was open to all schools throughout the state that wanted a second chance.

The double-elimination tournament includes lightning rounds and team rounds featuring questions about state and county history, culture, heritage, tourism, geography, government and sports prepared by the staff of the division’s Archives and History section.  Eighth graders in public, private and home-school education programs are eligible to compete on the four-person teams.

The Archives and History staff has developed more than 1,800 questions for its online Quick Quizzes. Teams preparing for the tournament were able to use the Archives and History Daily Trivia and Quick Quizzes as helpful tools from the division’s website, www.wvculture.org/history.

The championship team, Moorefield Middle School, included Eathan George, Jeremiah Hines, Austin Frederick and Jim Fuentes.
The runner-up team, Fairview Middle School, included Ethan Dillon, Miakoda Haught, Caden Suplita and Camryn Welch.
Third-place team, Cameron High School Team One, included Sophia Aston, Peri Gray, Cole Quigley, and Justin Schrack.
Fourth-place team, Mountaineer Middle School Team Two, included Victoria Dean, Ethan Fuller, Josh Harman and Drew Hawthorne.
Fifth-place team, Jackson Middle School Team One, included Anna Fatta, Noah Parker, Akshay Sambandham and Joseph Shepard.
Sixth-place team, Taylor County Middle School, included Jaret Lambert, Jay Latta, Keith Skaggs and Jarrett Toothman.
Seventh-place team, Sissonville Middle School, included Payten Brown, Dalton Ervin, Ethan Granata and Katherine Whittington.
Eighth-place team, Frankfort Middle School, included Sara Brinsfield, Micah Buser, Nikki Cannon and Sarah Collett.

Competitors included the following teams:
Andrew Jackson Middle School                               Cross Lanes, Kanawha County
Braxton County Middle School                                Sutton, Braxton County
Cameron High School (2 teams)                              Cameron, Marshall County
Duval Middle School                                               Griffithsville, Lincoln County
Edison Middle School                                              Parkersburg, Wood County
Fairview Middle School                                           Fairview, Marion County
Frankfort Middle School                                         Ridgeley, Mineral County
Jackson Middle School (2 teams)                            Vienna, Wood County
Moorefield Middle School                                       Moorefield, Hardy County
Mountaineer Middle School (2 teams)                     Morgantown, Monongalia County
Ravenswood Middle School                                    Ravenswood, Jackson County
Shady Spring Middle School (2 teams)                    Shady Spring, Raleigh County
Sissonville Middle School                                        Sissonville, Kanawha County
St. Joseph the Worker School                                 Weirton, Hancock County
Summersville Middle School (2 teams)                    Summersville, Nicholas County
Taylor County Middle School                                 Grafton, Taylor County
Wayne Middle School (2 teams)                             Wayne, Wayne County
Weir Middle School                                               Weirton, Hancock County

For more information, contact Debra Basham, assistant director of Archives and History and coordinator of the tournament for the division, 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.

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