Ransom Middle Academic Tigers Move on to Nationals

November 8, 2016

Students from Ransom Middle School have once again qualified to compete at the national level at the Middle School National Championship Academic Tournament.

The members of the Ransom Academic Team participated in the Second Annual Lewis Falcons Middle School Academic Tournament in Valparaiso on November 5. They competed against 28 middle school teams from across the Florida Panhandle.

The matches in the tournament challenged team members to work together to answer complex academic questions more accurately than an opposing team. To gain an advantage each team tried to answer more quickly than the other team.

Clarissa Brown and Lucinda Bateman coached the teams for Ransom Middle and explained that the tournament questions are so much more than quick “trivia” questions.

“They have a pyramidal structure, where the questions begin with more difficult clues, slowly progressing to more familiar information. It rewards the more knowledgeable students for their ability to answer quickly while only using less, and more difficult, high-level information,” Brown explained.

Members of Ransom Middle’s teams were: Ransom Team A – Captain Maggie Brown, Carter Pitts, Abby Gryskiewicz, and Maggie Shaffer. Ransom Team B – Captain Lili Rollins, Ian DeLay, Owen Painter, and Saahil Soni.

Ransom’s Team A finished fifth overall, qualifying them for the 2017 Middle School National Championship Tournament. Brown ranked #8 overall out of 124 players.

“We are so proud of their outstanding and enthusiastic effort, and how well they continue to represent Ransom Middle School and Escambia County Schools,” Bateman said.

The 2017 Middle School National Championship Academic Tournament will be held May 12-14 in Dallas.

Pictured top: Ransom Academic Team members (front, L-R) Carter Pitts, Owen Painter, Saahil Soni, Ian DeLay, (back, L-R) Maggie Shaffer, Abby Gryskiewicz, Lili Rollins, Maggie Brown. Pictured below: Team A ready to complete (L-R) Gryskiewicz, Shaffer, Brown and Pitts. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

5 Responses to “Ransom Middle Academic Tigers Move on to Nationals”

  1. BONNIE EXNER on November 10th, 2016 12:08 am

    Congratulations, Students..and THANK YOU TO THEIR COACHES..RANSOM MIDDLE ROCKS

  2. Linda Stabler on November 9th, 2016 9:54 pm

    Great job, Maggie Brown!

  3. Louis O'Rear on November 8th, 2016 6:18 pm

    Such a wonderful group of students! And great coaching, too! The kids could not of done it without Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Bateman. Put those kids with those two teachers, and you have a winning combination!

  4. js on November 8th, 2016 11:01 am

    Great job.

  5. Mrs. Ellis on November 8th, 2016 6:17 am

    ONWARD TO EXCELLENCE!

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FEATURE TOP STORY, Features, News