Pepperell High School won the inaugural Shorter College High School Quiz Bowl tournament held on October 16, 2007 at Shorter College.  The Pepperell High team of Adam Vaughn, Michelle Everett, Matt Bishop, and Tyler Maner took first place honors in the event by besting nine other teams from three participating area high schools.  The Pepperell team finished with an 8 – 1 record in the tournament.  Pepperell High entered three teams in the competition along with teams representing Model High and Calhoun High.  Top individual scorers in the event were: Ross Collins (Pepperell), Adam Vaughn (Pepperell), Andrew Pressley (Pepperell), and Graves Etheridge (Calhoun.)  Apryl Hawkins, a teacher at Pepperell High, was the academic advisor for the Pepperell team.

The tournament format was set-up with each team facing other entered teams one time.  Each contest consisted of two teams with four members each answering a series of questions on academic subjects and general knowledge.  The questions were divided into toss-up and bonus questions.  The first team to correctly answer a toss-up question was then given a bonus question.  The toss-up questions were worth 10 to 15 points and bonus questions worth 30 points.  A game consists of two equal, 9-minute halves or until all of the tossup questions provided for the game had been read.  The tournament was supported by National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT) and the Shorter College admissions office.  NAQT provides a standardized, nationwide competition format that is open to all high schools, home school collectives, community colleges, and colleges. In addition to its national championships, NAQT provides questions to invitational tournaments and league championships throughout the year as well as television shows and online games. 

Pepperell High and the second place team from Calhoun High will be invited to participate in NAQT's High School National Championship Tournament for their placing in the Shorter Academic Bowl.  The NAQT National Tournament will be held May 23-25, 2008.  The location has not been released at this time. Additional information about NAQT is available on the web at www.naqt.com.

The tournament was organized by Chuck Pearson, advisor to the Shorter Academic Bowl with assistance from the Shorter College Academic Bowl team.