David T. Howard Middle School Wins 2021 PAGE Academic Bowl For Middle Grades Virtual State Championship

ATLANTA – Feb. 23, 2021 – David T. Howard Middle School won top honors at this year’s PAGE Academic Bowl for Middle Grades Virtual State Championship competition. The team captured the title at the event held on Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021, using the virtual platform Qblitz. Howard Middle School is a part of the Atlanta Public Schools system.

During the morning session of the event, 24 semi-finalist teams from across the state competed in a round-robin competition. Since the event was virtual this year, all 24 teams were matched against each other. Eight teams emerged as finalists and competed against each other in the afternoon single-elimination competition session. The remaining 16 teams were matched up to determine their final placement in the field. The state championship team members are Charles Heydt, Farris Duwayri, Lily Rachwalski, and Rohan Reddy. Additional team members who participated in the Regional competition are Casey Yi-Vigoda, Daniel Hyken, Eleanor Heydt, Ethan Waldman, and Shivi Gupta. Jessica Hughes and Abbi Hurt coach the team.

All eight teams competing in the final rounds earned medals and awards. Other award-winning teams include:
• Second Place: North Gwinnett Middle School of Gwinnett County Public Schools, coached by Scott Johnson and Scott Kim
• Third Place: The Westminster Schools, an independent school located in Fulton County, coached by Jon Hathorn
• Fourth Place: River Trail Middle School of Fulton County School System, coached by Scott Fowler and Anatolie Kovacevich
• Fifth Place: Chamblee Middle School of DeKalb County School System, coached by John Donegan and Cathy Hirsch
• Sixth Place: Aaron Cohn Middle School of Muscogee County School District, coached by Rebecca Perez
• Seventh Place: Lakeside Middle School of Forsyth County Schools, coached by Cheryl West and Joy Hall
• Eighth Place: Richards Middle School also of Muscogee County School District, coached by Andrea Bingham

“It takes skill and cooperation to create a successful academic bowl team, and all the students who participated in the state championship competition should be proud of that accomplishment,” said PAGE Executive Director Craig Harper. “We understand the months of study and hard work exhibited by these students and their coaches, and we applaud them. We also appreciate the support of parents and school administrators, all of whom contributed to the success of each team.”

The PAGE Academic Bowl features teams of middle school students fielding questions in subjects such as history, mathematics, science, literature, and the performing arts. Opposing teams compete against the clock to answer toss-up and bonus questions in order to score points. The goal of the program is to inspire students to excel academically, to enhance student self-confidence and self-esteem through high achievement, and to develop both a team and competitive spirit. In this “Most Unusual Year,” Qblitz provided the platform for both the Regional and State virtual competitions.

The Professional Association of Georgia Educators honors outstanding students and educators and encourages academic excellence through competitive initiatives such as the PAGE STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Recognition) program, the PAGE Academic Bowl for Middle Grades, and the PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon.

The Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) is a statewide professional association of more than 95,000 educators, administrators and support personnel. PAGE provides professional learning to enhance competence and confidence, build leadership and increase student achievement while providing the best in membership, legal services and legislative support.