Schedule Set for Ninth Annual West Virginia History Bowl Competition

 News…

            CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The dates are set for the ninth annual West Virginia History Bowl regional and state competitions. All eighth-grade history buffs are invited to showcase their knowledge of West Virginia and participate in the 2018 History Bowl, sponsored by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History.

            The eight regional matches are scheduled to take place Feb. 3 – March 3 and designed to test students’ knowledge on all things West Virginia, including architecture, arts, culture, geography, government, history, literature and sports. Eighth-graders in public, private and home-schooled education programs are eligible to compete on the four-person teams in double-elimination tournament play. The winner and runner-up teams are invited to the state tournament championship at the Culture Center in Charleston on Tuesday, April 24.

            Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith said, “This competition has grown exponentially with both students and teachers expressing their enjoyment and enthusiastic support. The students learn new and interesting facts about our state that they can apply to other fields of study.”

            During the competition, students will answer questions compiled by the division’s Archives and History Section staff members. In preparation for competition, teams are encouraged to review the Daily Trivia, Quick Quizzes and Golden Horseshoe study guides. These can be found on the Archives and History Section’s website, www.wvculture.org/history.

The regional tournament dates and sites are as follows:

Saturday, Feb. 3 – Region V at Jackson Middle School, Vienna, Wood County; includes schools in Calhoun, Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Tyler, Wirt and Wood counties.
Saturday, Feb. 10 – Region II at Barboursville Middle School, Barboursville, Cabell County; includes schools in Cabell, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, Mingo and Wayne counties.
Friday, Feb. 16 – Region VI at West Virginia Independence Hall, Wheeling, Ohio County; includes schools in Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio and Wetzel counties.
Saturday, Feb. 17 –  Region IV at Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville, Fayette County; includes schools in Braxton, Fayette, Greenbrier, Nicholas, Pocahontas and Webster counties.
Friday, Feb. 23 – Region III at the Culture Center, Charleston, Kanawha County; includes schools in Boone, Clay, Kanawha and Putnam counties.
Saturday, Feb. 24 – Region I at Pineville Middle School, Pineville, Wyoming County; includes schools in McDowell, Mercer, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers and Wyoming counties.
Friday, March 2 – Region VIII at East Hardy Middle School, Baker, Hardy County; includes schools in Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral, Morgan and Pendleton counties.
Saturday, March 3 – Region VII at Robert L. Bland Middle School, Weston, Lewis County; includes schools in Barbour, Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Lewis, Marion, Monongalia, Preston, Randolph, Taylor, Tucker and Upshur counties.
Saturday, March 17, play-in tournament at Buckhannon-Upshur High School, Buckhannon, Upshur County.

The play-in tournament is held to accommodate schools that are unable to compete in their regional round because of inclement weather and school closings. It also is open to all schools throughout the state that want a second chance.

            General information about the History Bowl can be found at http://www.wvculture.org/history/historybowl/historybowl.html or by contacting Matt McGrew, tournament director and education coordinator for Archives and History, at matt.mcgrew@wv.gov or (304) 558-0230.

      The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the Office of Secretary of Education and the Arts with Gayle Manchin, 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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