Teams clash at Academic Challenge championships

[gallery]HURON TWP. — After four rounds of closely contested play, results for Erie County Academic Challenge teams almost repeated last year.Huron's sixth-grade team, Edison's seventh-grade team and Perkins' eighth-grade team each took first place in their grade divisions, and Sandusky's fifth-grade team placed second at Tuesday's championships at BGSU Firelands' Cedar Point Center. A year ago, Edison's seventh-grade and Perkins' eighth-grade teams placed first. North Point Educational Service Center organizes Academic Challenge matches each year, challenging students to answer questions as quickly and correctly as possible to earn points.Norwalk fifth-graders celebrate their first-place win during the Academic Challenge championships on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, at BGSU Firelands in Huron.Like their recent preliminary matches, students answered questions about math, science, language arts and social studies matching their grade-level curriculum. Miscellaneous trivia about fine arts, Ohio, the book "Wonder" and World War I for the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day were also used in competition.Students clutched their buzzers and discussed questions together, racing to answer each question.Members of Huron's sixth-grade Academic Challenge team whisper to each other as they come up with an answer during the championships at BGSU Firelands in Huron on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018.Last year, Huron's fifth-grade team won their championship and multiple members from that squad are on this year's sixth-grade team. To repeat their success, students prepared since July, practicing up to twice a week."They put more pressure on themselves to do well again," team advisor Sherry Rowen said.In addition to their intellect and energy, teamwork aided Huron's success."If one student doesn't know the answer, another student will jump in and answer," she said.Sandusky fifth-grade Academic Challenge team members react to answering a question correctly during the championships at BGSU Firelands in Huron on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018.Sandusky finished just one point behind Norwalk, as the two teams often clashed for answers."We knew Norwalk was going to be the team to beat," advisor Christine Beatty said.Since mid-September, Sandusky students practiced with their sixth-grade counterparts."They had a lot of fun practicing and the sixth-graders helped us get here," Beatty said.Academic Challenge coordinator Linda Stauffer thought this year's championships remained exciting and well-played."The kids showed good maturity and sportsmanship," she said. "They did their homework."Danbury fifth-graders wait to hear if their answer was correct during the Academic Challenge championships at BGSU Firelands in Huron on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018.Final resultsFifth-grade points• Norwalk City (34 points), Sandusky (33), Danbury (19), Woodmore (17)Sixth-grade points• Huron (37), Norwalk Catholic (31), St. Boniface (23), Clyde (15)Seventh-grade points• Edison (33), Oak Harbor (32), Norwalk City (22), Clyde (21)Eighth-grade points• Perkins (36), Bellevue (30), Oak Harbor (28), Woodmore (23)Source: North Point Educational Service CenterReach reporter Caitlin Nearhood at nearhood@sanduskyregister.com, follow her on Twitter @CaitlinNearhood and on Facebook.com/CaitliNearhoodEdison seventh-grader Chase King, center, lifts his team's first-place trophy during the Academic Challenge championships at BGSU Firelands in Huron on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018.Perkins' eighth grade Academic Challenge team smiles for a photo after winning first-place during the championships at BGSU Firelands in Huron on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018.Huron's sixth-grade Academic Challenge team poses for a photo after winning first-place at the championships on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, at BGSU Firelands in Huron.Norwalk St. Paul's sixth-grade Academic Challenge team laughs after giving an answer to a question during the championships on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, at BGSU Firelands in Huron.