Fifth graders show what they know in Quiz Bowl

By VERNON ROBISON

The Progress

Members of the fifth grade class at Grant Bowler Elementary got to show off their prodigious knowledge on Wednesday, May 15 during the school’s annual Quiz Bowl.

The 44 participating students had grouped into teams of two. Each of these teams faced off each other in a quiz bowl bracket format. The first team to answer five question correctly in each round advanced to the next round. The losing teams in each round were eliminated from the tournament.

The quiz-master was fifth grade teacher Caroline Delafrance who has been helping present the Quiz Bowl for about seven years now.

Delafrance had compiled a long list of 300 questions focused on facts that “every fifth grader ought to know,” she said.

The content of the questions came from an array of subjects including math, science, social studies and language arts. They were pretty challenging and some of the questions might have even stumped a team of adults.

The students had been given the list of questions about three months in advance so that they could prepare for the big contest.
“It is not easy by any means,” said Delafrance. “Those students who really take the time to practice and memorize are the students who win. It takes a lot of work.”

Many of the students took up the challenge and spent a good deal of time preparing. A few could even buzz in with the answers before Delafrance was able to finish the question.
“I am so proud of the students who were able to participate,” Delafrance said. “It amounted to almost half of our current 5th graders.”

The contest went on for more than an hour with teams fielding one question after another.
In the end, it all came down to two final teams who were competing for first place. And, as it turned out the two teams pitted a brother against sister in the final round.

Hannah Hudgell and her teammate Jade Houston, went up against her brother Eugene Hudgell and his partner Parley Werner.

It was a battle to the death, with the questions being answered back and forth between teams. In the end, the girls’ won the day and Hannah and Jade were proclaimed the 2024 Quiz Bowl winners.
“You have to have a good memory and you have to study a ton!” said Jade when asked her secret for winning the tournament.

She also credited her mother for spending time with her and helping her study for the contest.
Hannah specifically asked that some credit also be given to her opponent and brother for her success.
“Eugene helped me study a lot,” she said. “He quizzed me over and over again and we spent some late nights getting ready. So he definitely was a big factor.”

The third place winning team was also a sibling duo. It was the team of Bryan and Charlie Evans.