Academic Team

Coaches:   Holly Tincher, Liz Skelton, Amy Sweitzer (FPS)

Congrats Simmons Academic Team - 2008 Governor's Cup District AND Regional Champs!

The Simmons Academic Team is another aspect of our school with a proud tradition.  Next time you are at Simmons, take a look at the Academic Team banners hanging in the front atrium.  Simmons has been the District Champion in Governor's Cup Competition for the last 18 years straight!  And we've been Regional Champions for six of the last ten years!  Academic Team is a great outlet for kids who are motivated to continue learning outside the classroom, are fast thinkers, and like to compete using their brains! Many of our 4th and 5th grade academic team members go on to compete at the middle and high school levels, and at the Governor's Cup state tournament held each March in Louisville. 

Coach Tincher gives the quick recall team a few last minute pointers before the District match.

The Simmons Academic Team competes in Quick Recall against teams from Southside, Huntertown, Northside, St. Leo's and Woodford Christian.  Quick Recall is a quiz bowl-type competition with teams of four players each buzzing in to answer toss-up questions and earn bonus questions.  Each round consists of 30 questions or 10 minutes.  The teams have 10 seconds to answer a toss-up question and 10 seconds to answer a bonus question.  One point is awarded for each correctly answered toss-up and bonus question.

Academic Team practices will begin on Monday, October 29, 2007 and our first match will be on Monday, December 3.  Practices will be twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays.  All 4th and 5th graders may participate.  All you need is a quick mind and a quick buzzer finger!  

We also need lots of parent helpers to help out at practices, to be trained as judges, moderators, and scorers, to help with set-up and clean-up of home matches, and  to act as officials at the Governor's Cup matches.

2007-2008 Quick Recall Schedule

Governor's Cup Academic Team

In January, we will choose our Governor's Cup Academic Team. The Governor's Cup is a state-wide academic competition sponsored by the Kentucky Association for Academic Competition.  Teams compete in district and regional events in Quick Recall, Future Problem Solving, Written Assessment and Written Composition.  Quick Recall and Future Problem Solving are team events, while the Written Assessment and Composition are individual events. 

The 8-member Governor's Cup Quick Recall team will be chosen from the Simmons Academic Team quick recall participants.

Future Problem Solving practices will be announced in early fall.  Any number of students can participate in the practices, but the Governor's Cup team is limited to four team members and one alternate.  

There will be try-out testing for those wishing to participate in Written Assessment.  Students interested in participating in Composition will be asked to submit samples of their writing.  You do not have to participate in quick recall or FPS in order to try-out for the written tests or composition.  The top three highest scores from the tryouts will take the written assessments for the Governor's Cup team.

Each Governor's Cup academic team member may participate in up to three events.  (For example: FPS, Quick Recall, and Math Written Assessment, or Quick Recall, Science Written Assessment, and Language Arts Written Assessment.)  The top two Quick Recall and FPS teams and the top five students in Written Assessment and Composition at the District match will advance to the Regional match.

2008 Governor's Cup District 74 and Region 19 Champions.

2008 Governor's Cup Competition Schedule

Language Arts focus work: A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle

FPS topics: District - Simulation Technology; Regional - Neurotechnology