From left to right: Kelly Hart, Andrew Jones, Garrett Johnston, Lukas Freeman, Grant Foster, Bryce Goodwyn and Coach John Carter. 

The Creekland Middle School Academic Bowl Team won seventh place in the Middle School National Championship Tournament, which was held by NAQT (National Academic Quiz Tournaments) at Chicago's Hyatt Regency O'Hare hotel from April 20 through 22, 2012.  Additionally, team member Garrett Johnston placed sixth individually at the national competition.

“This is a remarkable accomplishment, as they competed with thousands of the smartest students from around the country,” said Dr. Deborah D. Wiseman, principal of Creekland Middle School.  “We are so proud of these students and the tremendous job they did representing the Cherokee County School District.”

Team members are Lukas Freeman, Bryce Goodwyn, Grant Foster, Kelly Hart, Garrett Johnston and Andrew Jones.  The team is coached by John Carter, Dr. Mark Nazemzadeh, Annabel Ballew and John Jensen.  Mr. Carter and Dr. Nazemzadeh accompanied the students to the competition. 

More about the Tournament (from www.naqt.com): At the middle school level, quiz bowl is a competitive, academic, interscholastic activity for which players attend periodic practices and then represent their school at tournaments. Those tournaments may be based on the school's athletic conference, school district, county, or state; they may also be open to all comers.  Quiz bowl questions range over the entire spectrum of the middle school curriculum and also include a certain amount of current events, sports, and popular culture. The matches feature a blend of individual competition and team collaboration, since no individual player is likely to be an expert in all subject areas. Quiz bowl can reinforce classroom lessons and also encourage players to go beyond their assignments to master other areas as well.

Top teams will receive invitations to the NAQT Middle School National Championship Tournament (MSNCT). This is a weekend event near the end of the school year that allows the nation's top teams to compete against each other. The 2011 championship featured 35 teams from across the U.S., who came to Chicago in the spring for 17 rounds of amazing competition.  NAQT is a national quiz bowl format; many states also have their own forms of quiz bowl organized by a state activities association. Most active teams choose to compete in both; there are certainly differences among the various options, but, by and large, they are all activities that glorify learning and players that enjoy one are likely to enjoy the others.