Area students gear up for Current Events Challenge

Brows will be furrowed, eyes will be concentrated and ears will be tuned in when students participate in The Sun's 2008 Current Events Challenge.

The event is free and open to the public. It will start at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in Post Auditorium, 400 W. 5th St.

Karen Phillips, The Sun's Newspapers In Education manager, said the event is a "college bowl type competition with all questions coming from The Sun newspapers."

Nineteen teams of fifth- and sixth-graders will participate in groups of four to six.

Questions will be taken from six different categories: national, world, entertainment, science, sports and regional.

Each school begins preparing for the event on Feb. 1. Each week the schools receive a box of Sun newspapers from the previous week, and the students who will be participating study the contents.

"It's much more fun to learn things that are factual and are happening right now," said Phillips. "This event gives students an opportunity to learn and have fun doing it."

Last year's champion was Rolle Elementary School, and the team's coach was fifth-grade teacher Michelle Keeling. The school will be defending its championship this year, and Keeling is excited for the students.

"I always tell my students that it is all about the fun on the road that we travel, and if we happen to win, that is just an added bonus," wrote Keeling in an e-mail to The Sun.

"Although it would be an exciting experience to win two years in a row, we are just glad to be participants. Last year going into the competition we just did not expect to win and I was thrilled for the kids when we did."

All the schools will receive T-shirts and the winning school will receive a banner, said Phillips. The first-place team will win a gold medal and $75 gift cards. Second place will receive a silver medal with $50 gift certificates, and third-place winners will receive the bronze medal and $25 gift cards.

"We would love to see the public come in" to watch, said Phillips. "The kids are phenomenal."

Phillips thanked Bill Barenholtz of Barenholtz Fine Furniture, Pepsi and Little Caesars Pizza for sponsoring the event.

"I (also) want to thank the coaches who have worked with the students all year," she said.


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Jennifer Lovell can be reached at
jlovell@yumasun.com or 539-6849.