Clinton High Wins Second Consecutive Mississippi College Academic Competition

Clinton High students showed a strong command of questions on a wide range of topics from American music and literature to foreign affairs to win the Mississippi College Academic Competition for the second  straight year.

Dozens of teams participated across the Magnolia State, with the Clinton High Arrows defeating Jackson Academy in the final round Tuesday at Mississippi College.

Questions dealing with American composers like George Gershwin and novelists such as Norman Mailer  were among those offered by quiz bowl moderator Tommy Leavelle, an MC mathematics professor. Others touched on geography, math, sports and memorable events like the eruption of a volcano in the Cascades Mountains.

“We studied in our homeroom three days a week and outside of class as well,’’ says  Clinton High junior Sarah Grace Travis. She’s the daughter of Mississippi College math department chairman John Travis.

The final tally of 585 for Clinton to 210 for Jackson Academy showed their hard work led the way to their solid team victory. For Clinton Arrows seniors Jay Rao, Datti Jinkiri and Sajal Tiwary it was their third straight year competing together as a team.

The Mississippi College Academic Competition is celebrating its 30^th year. The annual event is sponsored by the Mississippi College Office of Continuing Education on the Clinton campus.

Graduate School Dean Debbie Norris presented the award to the No. 1 Clinton Arrows team. Others making strong contributions to the winning effort for CHS included junior Jenny Loome, and sophomore Anthony Scales. Loome recently scored a perfect 36 on the American College Test.

“They’re a tremendous group of kids – they work hard,’’ said Clinton High English teacher Nancy Dent, the team’s coach. “I’m really proud of them.’’

Clinton High world geography teacher Zach Osborn joined Dent at the Leland Speed Library’s Learning Resource Center to offer their congratulations.

Two other teams making the Final 4 before getting eliminated Tuesday were Richland High and St. Joseph Catholic School. Other schools competing included Taylorsville High, Meridian High, Pearl High, Germantown High, and Copiah Academy.

In recent years, more than 40 schools from across the state annually participate in the Mississippi College Academic Competition.

A taping of Tuesday’s live broadcast can be seen on the Mississippi College Channel’s website under its Academic Competition section. Learning Resource Center manager Ryan Capell, an MC communication instructor, directed the program.

For more information on the Mississippi College Academic Competition, contact  MC Continuing Education Director Ken Gilliam at 601.925.3264 or gilliam@mc.edu.