The quiz bowl teams at St. James Catholic School are in the midst of another successful competition season and are preparing for several upcoming invitational tournaments.
St. James, a nonprofit private Catholic school founded in 1912, serves students in preschool through eighth grade. Quiz bowl has become a proud tradition at the school, which boasts a long history of successful teams and numerous tournament wins.
Quiz bowl is offered to students in grades 4–8 as an elective course. To participate, students must maintain an overall average of 85 or higher and follow team guidelines.
St. James teams compete locally against schools in the Gadsden City School District, as well as Westbrook Christian School and Glencoe Middle School in Etowah County. The Saints also participate through the Alabama Scholastic Competition Association, which oversees scholars bowl tournaments across the state and supports coaches and teams.
Alicia Sullivan, an eighth grade social studies teacher at St. James for 14 years, coaches the middle school scholars. In addition to coaching, Sullivan serves as athletic director and Beta Club co-sponsor.
Sullivan said she enjoys bringing her passion for culture and diversity into the classroom by giving students multiple ways to express their learning and by creating meaningful connections to local history.
Third grade teacher Katelyn Soper coaches the elementary school scholars bowl team. Together, Sullivan and Soper work diligently to prepare their students for local, district and state competitions.
“Our record and state championship title are a testament to how hard our players work and the standard that we hold them to,” Soper said.
Soper and Sullivan praised the St. James teams for their work ethic.
“Most people don’t realize how much mental effort and commitment quiz bowl requires,” Soper said. “We have a three-day quiz bowl camp in July for all returning players and any students interested in quiz bowl. We teach them the basics of competing in matches and introduce strategies for studying different subject areas.”
Once the school year begins, each student is assigned a topic area to study. These subjects include literature, science, history, geography, music and arts and pop culture.
The St. James team practices during its elective class on Tuesdays and Thursdays and after school on Fridays. Matches are held on Wednesdays, and the team also competes in several tournaments throughout the year, usually on weekends, in addition to district and state competitions.
The coaches agreed that any sport requires hard work and dedication, and scholars bowl is no different.
“Alicia and I know what our kids are capable of, and we push them to meet those expectations. They have the foundation for success, and they are willing to do what it takes to build on that foundation,” Soper said.
Before district and state tournaments begin in late January, the St. James Scholars Bowl teams will compete at the Decatur Invitational Tournament on Nov. 15, the Athens Bible Invitational on Jan. 3, and the Arab Invitational Tournament on Jan. 10.
