April 30, 2015

 News…

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Division of Culture and History will hold its sixth annual State History Bowl Championship on Tuesday, May 5, at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex, Charleston. Twenty-four teams of eighth graders from 18 schools in 13 counties will vie for the championship title. Activities begin with a general assembly at 9 a.m., followed by the first round of competition at 9:30 a.m.

Guest moderators, including Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, First Lady Joanne Jaeger Tomblin, Department of Education and the Arts Deputy Cabinet Secretary Martha McKee, Senior Advisor to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin F. Raamie Barker, Counsel to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District Steve Ruby, Chancellor of Higher Education Policy Commission Dr. Paul Hill, Del. Michael Ferro (D-Marshall), Sesquicentennial Commission member Larry Swann, Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, and West Virginia Division of Culture and History Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, will preside over several sessions.

The double-elimination tournament includes lightning rounds and team rounds featuring questions about state and county history, culture, geography, government, heritage, sports and tourism prepared by the staff of the division’s Archives and History section.

The Archives and History staff developed more than 1,800 questions for its online Quick Quizzes. Teams preparing for the tournament 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 home-school 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 district and the top eight teams from a play-in competition will compete in the tournament final.

The play-in competition was held to accommodate 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 to get a second chance in the History Bowl tournament.

Competitors include the following teams:
Andrew Jackson Middle School                                 Cross Lanes, Kanawha County
Belington Middle School                                              Belington, Barbour County
Cameron High School (2 teams)                                 Cameron, Marshall County
East Hardy Early/Middle School (2 teams)               Baker, Hardy County
Edison Middle School                                                   Parkersburg, Wood County
Fairview Middle School                                               Fairview, Marion County
Frankfort Middle School                                              Ridgeley, Mineral County
Independence Middle School (2 teams)                    Sophia, Raleigh County
Jackson Middle School (2 teams)                                Vienna, Wood County
Keyser Middle School                                                  Keyser, Mineral Couny
Madison Middle School                                               Madison, Boone County
Peterstown Middle School                                          Peterstown, Monroe County
Richwood Middle School                                             Richwood, Nicholas County
Shady Spring Middle School (2 teams)                     Shady Spring, Raleigh County
Sissonville Middle School                                            Sissonville, Kanawha County
Summersville Middle School                                      Summersville, Nicholas County
Taylor County Middle School                                     Grafton, Taylor County
Wayne Middle School (2 teams)                                 Wayne, Wayne County

For more information, contact Matt McGrew, tournament director and education coordinator for Archives and History, 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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