Jackson Prep Students Win Quiz Bowl at Mississippi College

Mississippi College math professor Tommy Leavelle joins Graduate School Dean Debbie Norris, and Jackson Prep students Wesley Roberson, Robert Wasson, Alex Reichle and Lily Garretson, along with longtime quiz bowl judge Dean Parks on February 7.Parks is a retired MC chemistry professor. Jackson Prep won for the second year in a row.

Answering a blitz of questions on history, literature, world geography and other topics, Jackson Prep students emerged with another triumph at Mississippi College’s quiz bowl.

The 34^th annual Mississippi Academic Competition matched Jackson Prep once again with Presbyterian Christian School of Hattiesburg.

After MC mathematics professor Tommy Leavelle of Clinton finished firing off a barrage of questions in the finals on February 7, Jackson Prep students tallied the most points.

Jackson Prep senior Wesley Roberson, 18, is delighted to serve on the Patriots winning squad in 2017 for the second year in a row. There were plenty of practices on the Flowood campus in Rankin County leading up to the activities in Clinton.

“Most of these questions we covered in school,” Wesley said as he exited the competition at the Leland Speed Library. “We like this tournament – because we are the returning champs.”

Jackson Prep senior Robert Wasson and junior Alex Reichle are the other two teammates returning from last year’s successful team. Lily Garretson, a Jackson Prep junior, is the squad’s newcomer.

Presbyterian Christian School captain Liz Lucas enjoyed facing Jackson Prep again even though PCS finished as the runner-up. “It’s always great competition,” she said. “For us there was not a lot of traveling involved.”

Other students on the PCS team: Ben Majors, Bob Donnell, Tanner Rodgers, Timothy Lewis and Natalie Brown.

Questions ranged naming the author of “The Hunger Games” to identifying the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner. Students were asked to name the city in South Carolina that’s home to Fort Sumter and identify the country where the Atlas Mountains are located. There were many more on the list.

Students advanced to the finals at the library’s Learning Resources Center after Presbyterian Christian defeated St. Joseph Catholic School, and Jackson Prep beat Northwest Rankin.

Other area teams participating included Clinton High, Jackson Academy, Madison-Ridgeland Academy, Pearl High, Brandon High, Madison Central, Hillcrest Christian, Richland High and Ridgeland High, to name a few. Teams traveled from as far away as Bay High School in south Mississippi to put their academic skills to the test.

The MC Office of Continuing Education sponsors the event each year on the Clinton campus. Graduate School Dean Debbie Norris saluted the winners at Tuesday’s award presentation.

For more information, contact Judith Halbert of the Office of Continuing Education at 601-925-3265 or halbert@mc.edu