Alto Park Elementary and Armuchee Middle are 2008 Academic Quiz Bowl champions for Floyd County Schools.  Alto Park Elementary won the elementary division and Armuchee Middle took the middle school title. This is the second consecutive year that Armuchee Middle has won in the middle school division.  The Academic Quiz Bowl is a county-wide academic competition that was held this week at Shorter College.

The elementary competition was started seven years ago to bring all Floyd County gifted students together to compete in academics. Fifth-grade gifted students in Floyd County Schools participate in the elementary division. The students compete in academic areas of math, science, vocabulary, spelling, trivia, literature, and geography.

Sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade gifted students across the county participate in the Middle School Quiz Bowl. This is the sixth year students have competed at the middle school level. Middle school students compete in the academic areas of math, literature, vocabulary, science, history, and geography.

The Fifth-Grade Kaleidoscope Quiz Bowl was held on Monday at Shorter College.  Alto Park Elementary placed first in the competition, Armuchee Elementary was second, and Pepperell Elementary finished in third place.  

The Middle School Kaleidoscope Quiz Bowl was held at Shorter on Tuesday.  Armuchee Middle was the overall winner in the competition. Pepperell Middle finished second, and Model Middle placed third.  The middle school competition also divides the competitors into grade levels.  In the sixth-grade competition, Armuchee Middle finished in first place with Pepperell Middle second.  Armuchee Middle also took first place in the seventh-grade division followed by Model Middle in second place. Pepperell Middle took top honors in eighth-grade competition with Model Middle again finishing second.   

The competitions were started to promote student academic growth in problem solving, critical thinking, communication skills, and advanced research skills. The activities also promote leadership and provide motivation for students to excel in academics. The Quiz Bowls are local school system events with no region or state competitions. McCall Govignon, coordinator of advanced academic programs for Floyd County Schools, feels that this type of academic program is important for elementary and middle school children.  Govignon said, “I believe that academic activities like the Quiz Bowl better prepares students for participating in Academic Decathlon competitions at the high school level.”