Knowledge Master Places First in the Nation, Again!
by Glorianna Ford
Clifton-Clyde High School’s six gifted students scored 1466 of 2,000 possible points on April 21 in the 50th Knowledge Master Open academic competition. This score qualified them for first in the nation in Division I; schools with enrollment of 200 or less. Both their academic knowledge and their speed contributed to their success. Teams earn extra points for answering quickly.
The students on the team included Anna Rogers, Christian Jackson, Ben Detrixhe, Barrett Winters, Dylan Koch, Alex Potuzak, and Laura Rogers. Due to other circumstances, Laura was unable to participate the day of the competition.
Thousands of students throughout the country and in many foreign countries compete semi-annually in this prestigious academic competition. Middle school, junior high, and high school students face their computers twice a year with 200 very tough questions to vie for top scores based on the accuracy and speed of their answers. A total of 22,203 students participated comprising 1,572 teams in 49 states plus nine foreign countries.
Of Kansas schools CCHS’s score was seventh out of the twenty-seven schools competing. However, they were the second smallest school competing in Kansas. They placed 161st out of the 703 national and international teams in the high school competition.
Academic Coach Glorianna Ford described their effort as outstanding, “Seeing them working and talking out answers was rewarding.” They truly were committed and focused on the academic task at hand. When the competition was over, they had improved upon last fall’s score of 1439 and upon last years' scores of 1216 and 1243.
The Knowledge Master Open was designed to stimulate enthusiasm for learning and recognition for academic accomplishment. The contest runs on classroom computers to allow all students the opportunity to compete in a large academic event without the expense of traveling to a central site. Results of the contest are tabulated into overall, state and enrollment-size rankings by Academic Hallmarks, a Colorado publishing firm that hosts the event. Contest results and example questions are available at www.greatauk.com.
