I caught some, but not all, of the annual state Quiz Bowl finals on AETN last weekend. It’s great fun watching Arkansas high school students answer mind-bending math questions and pull esoteric facts out of their hats.
So congrats to this year’s state champions:
Class 1A — Haas Hall, which beat LISA Academy
Class 2A — Woodlawn, which beat Parkers Chapel
Class 3A — Bauxite, which beat Episcopal Collegiate
Class 4A — Huntsville, which beat Subiaco Academy
Class 5A — Little Rock Christian, which beat Morrilton
Class 6A — Little Rock Parkview, which beat Benton
Class 7A — Little Rock Central, which beat Cabot.
MVPs in each division included, ta da, Arkansas Times Academic All-Star Chris Mullen of Little Rock Christian. A number of other all-stars participated in final-round games.
Speaking of academic achievement: LR Central’s team in the Fed Challenge, a Federal Reserve Bank competition, again won the regional championship and again will advance to national competition. Teams win by presenting an analysis of the national economy and make a monetary policy recommendation to the Fed’s Open Markets Committee. It ain’t tiddlywinks.