For the past 18 years Garfield County Schools have participated in a Constitution Bowl sponsored by the Garfield County Teen Age Republicans (TARs).
The contest is held in the fall as close to Constitution Day as possible. Due to a heavy school schedule, this year’s contest was held on November 25 with Escalante High School hosting the event.
Four teams participated in a challenging competition to see who could hit the buzzer first and answer the questions correctly. Students study the questions on their own and with teammates, each taking a section of the Constitution of the United States of America to learn about. The toss-up questions are of a simpler nature and earn the team five points for each correct answer. Bonus questions are considerably more difficult, with the team earning 10 points for answering correctly.
Teams consist of four to five individuals and each school that participates can bring two teams. Winning teams are awarded $100 for each participant.
This year’s bowl was very competitive with Escalante sponsoring two teams and Panguitch sponsoring two teams. Each team competed in two rounds of questioning with each round lasting 20 minutes. Questions were drawn at random by two moderators and the first student to hit his or her buzzer was allowed to answer. If they answered correctly the judges gave them points depending on the completeness of the answer. If they were incorrect the other team had a chance to steal the question.
Judges award points on the correctness of each answer. This year’s judges were AJ Martel and Jolene Dodge.
Escalante has won the trophy for the last three years but this year Panguitch Team #1 prevailed, winning first place. The winning team consisted of Anabelle Peterson, Payton Stewart, Miguel Valenzuela, and Caleb Cox. This team proudly brought home the trophy and $100 per person.
The Garfield County Teen Age Republicans are proud of all of the teams and the effort they put in studying our Constitution.
– by Elaine Baldwin, The Byway
Feature image caption: Panguitch Team #1, consisting of Miguel Valenzuela, Payton Stewart, Anabelle Peterson and Caleb Cox, took first in the Garfield Constitution Bowl.
Elaine Baldwin – Panguitch
Elaine Baldwin is an Editor/Writer for The Byway. She is the wife of Dale Baldwin, and they have three children, 11 grandchildren and one great granddaughter. Elaine enjoys making a difference in her world. She recently retired after teaching Drama for 20 years at Panguitch High School. She loves volunteering and finds her greatest joy serving in the Cedar City Temple each Friday.