The Falls High School Senior High Knowledge Bowl team will head to state competition in April.
The team, made up of John Cowman, Alex Belanger, Sutton Vellieux, Tanner Sether and Jordan Anderson, placed first at the Northeast Region Knowledge Bowl tournament March 18 at the Northeast Service Cooperative in Mountain Iron.
The team will compete at the state meet April 13 and 14 at Cragun’s Resort, Brainerd.
The team, composed entirely of sophomores, was undefeated all season, and also placed first in junior varsity last fall, noted Carol Jaksa, team adviser.
“Over the past 17 years, nine teams from the Falls have advanced to state competition, this team being the youngest of the nine,” she added. “To put this win in perspective, there are 90 teams in our region and 26 schools participating. These guys are No. 1.”
Kijo Pulford, education service program specialist at the cooperative, told The Journal the Falls’ win is “huge.” There are 136 teams in total in the region, with 91 teams in the small division.
This year, 28 FHS students participated in Senior High Knowledge Bowl, with a total of six senior high teams competing at meets, added Jaksa.
Pulford encouraged anyone who has not witnessed a Knowledge Bowl competition to do so. “They would be very impressed with our students and our education system,” she said.
Minnesota Service Cooperative Knowledge Bowl competitions are interdisciplinary academic contests designed for secondary high school students in grades 7-12, according to the the cooperative’s website.
Depending on the grade division, teams of four to six students demonstrate problem solving and critical thinking skills in both oral and written formats. Students field challenging questions developed from more than 15 curriculum areas. Students can participate in a number of ways such as computer operators, scorekeepers and as team competitors.
Regional meets and tournaments are held during the academic year.
