West Virginia Academic Showdown Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Watch The 2023 West Virginia Academic Showdown

The finals for the second annual West Virginia Academic Showdown begin Friday, March 31 at 8:30 a.m. West Virginia Public Broadcasting will live stream the event all day on YouTube and Facebook.

The finals for the second annual West Virginia Academic Showdown begin Friday, March 31 at 8:30 a.m.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting will live stream the event all day on YouTube and Facebook.

We are also broadcasting the event on The West Virginia Channel.

Launched in 2022, the West Virginia Academic Showdown is an academic head-to-head competition that brings West Virginia high school students from across the state together for regional matchups.

The Academic Showdown is a partnership between the West Virginia Department of Education, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, West Virginia Public Broadcasting, and the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History.

Watch the 2023 West Virginia Academic Showdown:

Second Annual W.Va. Academic Showdown To Be Held March 31

Matchups for the finalists in the second annual West Virginia Academic Showdown were announced last week. Ten teams from nine high schools from across the state will compete for first place at the end of the month.

The five matchups include:

James Monroe High School versus Winfield High School
Morgantown High School Team 1 versus George Washington High School
Spring Mills High School versus Wheeling Park High School
Huntington High School versus Morgantown High School Team 2
Ripley High School versus Berkeley Springs High School

The matchups were announced by the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) in an online drawing.

The finale will feature double elimination at three venues within the Culture Center in Charleston on March 31 at 9 a.m., according to the WVDE.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting (WVPB) will stream the finale on its YouTube channel and broadcast it live on the West Virginia Channel.

The Academic Showdown held its inaugural competition last year where George Washington High was crowned the grand champion.

The event is made up of 9th-12th graders and covers a variety of subjects – from literature and math to religion and mythology and even pop culture.

The program is the result of a partnership between the WVDE, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, WVPB, and the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History.

According to the WVDE, in its second year, the competition has more than doubled in participation with 71 teams competing in five regionals.

George Washington High Wins W.Va. High School Academic Contest

George Washington High School of Charleston on Friday won an academic competition involving teams of students from across West Virginia.

George Washington defeated Spring Mills High School of Berkeley County in the championship round of the West Virginia Academic Showdown at the state Culture Center in Charleston. George Washington won $10,000 and Spring Mills $6,000.

In addition, George Washington team captain Reese Mason received $1,000 for being chosen the top competitor.

Under the competition, which was based on the popular History Bowl quiz format, 29 teams from 19 high schools signed up for four regional events. The eight regional winners then advanced to the state finals.

Berkeley Springs and PikeView were eliminated in the semifinals and received $4,000. Greenbrier East, Ripley, Sherman and Tug Valley were eliminated in the quarterfinals and received $3,000.

The competition subjects included literature, math, history, science, geography, fine arts, religion and mythology, social science, philosophy, current events, pop culture and general knowledge.

Schools formed teams of four students from grades 9 through 12 with a fifth member serving as an alternate.

W.Va. Academic Contest To Crown High School Champion

An academic competition involving teams from West Virginia high schools will crown its winner Friday afternoon. The championship round of the West Virginia Academic Showdown is ongoing at the state Culture Center in Charleston. It started around 9 a.m.

An academic competition involving teams from West Virginia high schools will crown its winner Friday afternoon.

The championship round of the West Virginia Academic Showdown is ongoing at the state Culture Center in Charleston. It started around 9 a.m. Friday morning.

Under the competition, which is based on the popular History Bowl format, 29 teams from 19 high schools signed up for four regional events. The regional winners then advanced to the state finals.

The competing high schools in Friday’s finale are Berkeley Springs, George Washington, Greenbrier East, PikeView, Ripley, Sherman, Spring Mills, and Tug Valley.

The competition subjects include literature, math, history, science, geography, fine arts, religion and mythology, social science, philosophy, current events, pop culture and general knowledge.

Schools formed teams of four students from grades 9 through 12 with a fifth member serving as an alternate.

The event is a partnership between Senate President Craig Blair, the West Virginia Department of Education, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History, and West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

WVPB is streaming the day-long championship live online and on television.

State Agencies Launch New Academic Competition To Showcase W.Va.’s ‘Best And Brightest’

A new statewide academic competition – that will mirror a history bowl format – will launch for West Virginia high school students this month.

The West Virginia Academic Showdown will be a head-to-head competition between high school teams from across the state.

Teams will be made up of four students from grades 9 – 12 and will cover subjects like literature, math, history, science, fine arts, religion and mythology, as well as current events and pop culture.

The program is the result of a partnership between the West Virginia Department of Education, the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, West Virginia Public Broadcasting, and the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History.

But it was Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, who championed the idea. Blair at a press conference Wednesday said he was inspired by academic game shows as a child and wanted something like it for West Virginia.

“We’ve got our best and brightest; we need to showcase them just like we do student athletes,” Blair said. “It’s good for economic development. You put this out on all the TV stations, and the CEOs are coming through, or people who are visiting this state, and they’re watching that on TV, and they’re seeing our students being displayed. That sends a tremendous message to corporate America.”

Twenty-nine teams from 19 schools will participate in the program’s inaugural year.

Universities across the state will host the regional competitions with the first one at Marshall University on Jan. 15.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting will be producing videos of the regional competitions and will broadcast the March 25 finale at the West Virginia Culture Center in Charleston live on television. Highlights from the regionals will also be shown during the live event.

Schedule of Events:

Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022: Region 1 Event at Marshall University
Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022: Region 5 Event at Shepherd University
Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022: Region 4 Event at West Virginia University
Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022: Region 3 Event at Concord University
Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022: Region 2 Event at West Virginia State University
Friday, March 25, 2022: Academic Showdown Finale at the West Virginia Culture Center