Column: The Whiteboard Jungle: Coaching Scholastic Bowl team scores points for students, teacher and school
For the 29th straight year, Glendale Unified will host the Scholastic Bowl at Glendale High School on Monday night. Televised locally, this is the biggest academic competition among the district’s four high schools: Clark Magnet, Crescenta Valley, Glendale and Hoover highs.
Having a night that showcases the talents of bright students is welcoming. Smart kids often get the short end of the education stick.
Gifted education receives the least funding of any ability-level group. Yet these high-achieving students are the ones who make their schools shine. Most aspects of a school that principals brag about have a large amount to do with the contributions of these fine young people.
The first part of the competition takes place a week before the main event when all five-member teams write a one-hour timed essay. Points earned from this writing are added to each school’s score the following week when the teams converge on stage to answer 25 questions in a group round where collaboration is allowed.
Then, there are another 50 questions in a buzzer round when only individuals answer. Two points are awarded for correct answers; one point deduction for incorrect responses.
Each member of the winning team wins $500, second place, $250, third place, $150, and fourth place, $100.
Knapp, Peterson & Clarke, Oakmont League, local Kiwanis and Rotary clubs, the Dan Levin Trust, Parker Anderson Enrichment and Sylvan Learning Center contribute to the awards.
For most years, Channel 4 weathercaster Fritz Coleman has served as quizmaster. This year, the emcee will be Channel 7’s weekday anchor Phillip Palmer.
When I was asked by the principal to coach the Hoover’s team back in 2008, I had no idea that I would still be doing it 11 years later.
While I have had the good fortune of having two teams win the competition, for me, the joy of being involved with this program is the opportunity to work with some of the brightest young people. They enjoy each other’s company and have fun showing off their knowledge.
The lowest point occurred two years ago when one of my students forgot to save the essay on the computer which ended up costing us another championship. This was especially bitter since I was the coach who championed transitioning from handwritten papers to using laptops.
As coach, my main job is selecting the team. I hold tryouts where I seek five students who collectively are able to answer questions in the five main categories of art, literature, history, science and math.
For months, we hold after-school practices twice a week where the team watches past Scholastic Bowls, answering the questions “live.”
One team member tracks correct and incorrect answers for each category so we can figure out which students will be stronger in the group round versus the buzzer round — only four students are allowed on stage at any one time.
We even practice using buzzers. I also give them practice essays, which we later evaluate according to the Scholastic Bowl’s writing rubric.
This year’s team happens to be all-male, comprised of three seniors and two sophomores, each student a different ethnicity — a delightful coincidence. Their collegiality proves that students from various backgrounds can work well together pursuing a common goal: to win the competition.
It is an important reminder to those who only know Hoover from recent negative headlines that positive experiences also happen on campus.
If you want to see another side of Hoover, come to the Scholastic Bowl at 7 p.m. this Monday at Glendale High School, 1440 Broadway in Glendale.
The future will be present on stage representing all 1,600 of their fellow students.
BRIAN CROSBY is a teacher in the Glendale Unified School District and the author of “Smart Kids, Bad Schools” and “The $100,000 Teacher.” He can be reached at www.brian-crosby.com.
