2023 Academic Bowl Champions

South Forsyth Wins 2023 PAGE Academic Bowl For Middle Grades State Championship

South Forsyth Middle School, a school in the Forsyth County Schools district, won top honors at this year’s PAGE Academic Bowl for Middle Grades State Championship competition. The team captured the title at the event on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville.

During the morning session of the event, 26 semi-finalist teams from across the state competed in a round-robin competition. Eight teams emerged as finalists and competed against each other in the afternoon single-elimination competition session. South Forsyth’s team members are Aarav Modey, Adhrit Yadav, Anish Raja, Dhanvin Pamulapati, Raghava Murthy, Rishin Shah, Shashwat Balamurali, Sydney Moore, Vivan Kotla, and Zohaib Sheik. Ashley Calloway and Stephanie Chanoski coach the team.

All eight teams competing in the final rounds earned medals and awards. Other award-winning teams include:

Second Place: River Trail Middle School of the Fulton County School District, coached by Scott Fowler.
Third Place: North Gwinnett Middle School of Gwinnett County Public Schools, coached by Scott Johnson.
Fourth Place: Riverwatch Middle School of Forsyth County Schools, coached by Ann Hicks.
Fifth Place: David T. Howard Middle School of Atlanta Public Schools, coached by Jessica Hughes, Abbi Hurt, and Colin Heydt.
Sixth Place: Richards Middle School, of Muscogee County School District, coached by Andrea Bingham, and Troy McGarr.
Seventh Place: Jefferson Middle School of Jefferson City School District, coached by Lindy Pals.
Eighth Place: The Westminster Schools an independent school in Fulton County, coached by Jon Hathorn and Robert Cochran.

“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. Finally, I’d like to thank Georgia College and the Collegiate Middle Level Association (CMLA) for hosting our competition at this outstanding university.”

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 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.

As the largest independent educator association in the state and nation, the Professional Association of Georgia Educators (PAGE) exists to support our members who serve in every Georgia public school. PAGE provides unparalleled legal coverage, legislative advocacy, professional learning, grants, and scholarships. PAGE honors and encourages educational excellence through student programs including Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR), Future Georgia Educators (FGE), Georgia Academic Decathlon (GAD), and PAGE Academic Bowl for Middle Grades.