GREENEVILLE – Brainpower enveloped the Meen Center as students from middle school and high school and homeschool cooperatives demonstrated their mastery of a broad array of subjects in the largest turnout so far of a popular annual quiz bowl tournament at Tusculum University.
Two players consult each other on an answer.
Dr. Chuck Pearson addresses the competitors.
The Tusculum Earlybird, held Saturday, Sept. 12, is a staple of the fall at the university and attracted 32 teams and 130 competitors from four states and as far as Nashville in Tennessee this year. Participants not only had the opportunity to showcase their knowledge but also experience what it would be like to be a student taking classes in the Meen Center, the newest building on campus and one of the biggest at Tusculum.
Competitors tackled questions about fine arts, history, literature, pop culture, psychology, religion, science and social science.
“We are thrilled to hold this tournament every year and are delighted with such an impressive number of competitors this time,” said Dr. Chuck Pearson, assistant dean of math and science, who serves as the event’s leader. “These students are extremely bright and are committed to expanding their knowledge, which will benefit them greatly as they progress academically. We would love to help them further grow their quiz bowl skills and prepare them as Tusculum students to be career-ready professionals.”
Some of the competitors in the Tusculum Earlybird included members of Team Tennessee, which includes 10 players from across the state who played in the National All-Star Academic Tournament in June. Tusculum provided funding and coaching for the team. Two members of that team – Carson Tidwell and Liam Mooney – finished first and second, respectively, in the upper division at this year’s Tusculum Earlybird.
Perspective from competitors
Among the participants at the Tusculum Earlybird was a two-person team from Gate City High School in Virginia – senior Rader Ketron and sophomore Madalynne Watts. This is his fourth year in quiz bowl and the fifth time he has come to Tusculum for a competition. He has traveled as far as Atlanta to compete. His trip to Tusculum was fruitful this year because he finished as the top scorer in the novice division.
Madalynne Watts, left, and Rader Ketron work on an answer to one of the questions during the Tusculum Earlybird.
“I like learning things that don’t come up normally in classes,” Ketron said. “This tournament is a really good way to get into the start of the season and get in a groove after the summer. It’s the first one everybody plays. I really like playing the game.”
This is Watts’ first year. She became interested in playing quiz bowl because she has a friend who has been involved in that activity since seventh grade. There was an announcement that the school was looking for students to try out for the Gate City team. She decided to pursue it because she wanted to be more active in school and in her community and learn more things.
Watts enjoyed herself in her first competition and was pleased with her and Ketron’s performance. Entering the Tusculum Earlybird is helping Watts to know how to prepare for future tournaments.
“I have been on Quizlet like every day,” she said. “I’ve studied more than I think I every have in my life. This is doing really well to help me get into study habits, which I am proud of. I’ve gone over a study guide multiple times, and I’ve even had one of friends help quiz me. I’ve also shown up to practices. I’ve done my best to try to prepare.”
Tusculum has a quiz bowl team, coached by Dr. Pearson, for students enrolled at the university, and it has participated in a variety of competitions. Students who participate in the team might qualify for a $2,000 annual scholarship. Anyone who is interested in becoming a member of the team can speak with the Office of Admission at admission@tusculum.edu or Dr. Pearson at cpearson@tusculum.edu.
Welcome from the university’s president
Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president, attended the Tusculum Earlybird to extend his and the university’s greetings to all of the competitors. He quickly turned to the business of the day by asking all of the competitors a couple of questions:
- “What is the first higher education institution in Tennessee?”
- “To which university in Tennessee did President George Washington give a $100 donation while he was in office?”
- “Which university in Tennessee houses the President Andrew Johnson library?”
The audience correctly answered the questions by saying, “Tusculum.”
Two students play in one of the games.
Dr. Scott Hummel welcomes the students.
Dr. Hummel shared how impressed he was with the students that they were dedicating their Saturday to this activity because it showed they were going above and beyond expectations. He said that was a good indicator of their ability and desire, which will manifest itself in college and their careers. He also encouraged them to pursue their collegiate studies at Tusculum.
“There are a lot of great options for college, and Tusculum is certainly one of them,” Dr. Hummel said. “Part of the reason we are such a great university is that we have professors like Dr. Pearson who will know you, take care of you and help make sure you succeed and get across that graduation stage. Not every university has professors like Dr. Pearson, but we have them.”
Dr. Hummel also touted a couple of the programs available at Tusculum that enhance the collegiate experience for students. One is the Center for Free Enterprise and New Venture Creation, which enables students to take an idea they have for a business or product, refine it and present it to people in the community at a Pitch Day. Another is the Discipleship Living-Learning Center, which enables students to grow in their faith while living in one of three university-owned houses, currently one for females and two for males.
“We have a whole host of extracurricular activities to make your time in college the very best it can be,” Dr. Hummel said. “They will prepare you not just for quizzes and exams but also for your career and life. This is part of our holistic approach to education.”
Comments from the Office of Admission
Two competitors enjoy a lighthearted moment during a game.
Josh Renner promotes Tusculum in remarks to the audience
Josh Renner, an admission representative, also spoke with the students and told them that he graduated in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in museum studies and a minor in history. He is now pursuing a Master of Arts in teaching with a goal of becoming a history teacher.
Renner highlighted Tusculum’s active and experiential approach to education. That means students not only go to classes and learn from textbooks but also put what they learn into practice in the field. He gave an example in the Meen Center of an informational display case on the ground floor that was developed and built by students. Students also regularly conduct research that results in presentations on and off campus and work on other projects related to their field.
One of the highlights of the Tusculum Earlybird is that students compete in the same classrooms where Tusculum students take their courses and the labs where they perform experiments.
Final results
Here are the results of this year’s Tusculum Earlybird:
Upper division teams
- June Buchanan School in Pippa Passes, Kentucky
- Merrol Hyde Magnet School A in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and Blacksburg High School A in Blacksburg, Virginia (tie)
Novice division teams
- Blacksburg High School B in Blacksburg, Virginia
- Merrol Hyde Magnet School B in Hendersonville, Tennessee
- L&N Stem Academy B in Knoxville
Upper division individuals
- Carson Tidwell, Merrol Hyde Magnet School A
- Liam Mooney, University School of Nashville
- Austin Moore, June Buchanan School
Novice division individual
- Rader Ketron, Gate City High School B
- Andrew Najarian, Cookeville High School
- Oliver Barra, Merrol Hyde Magnet School B
Anyone who is interested in learning more about becoming a Tusculum student can email admission@tusculum.edu. Additional information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.