Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Monday, July 14, 2008

Huddled around a small library table, students at Deep Springs Elementary School shake their heads, scribble on scratch paper and whisper excitedly. They lean in close to share their thoughts, then someone exclaims a breathless “Yes!”

   That’s when an Academic Challenge coach reminds them to keep it quiet.

  “You have to contain your excitement. We don’t want to give away our answer,” says Anitrea Burks, a social worker at Deep Springs who works with the school’s eight teams two afternoons a week.

  The children settle down, content to confer secretly within their team’s circle.

  Next question: “Kim ran for 30 minutes each day for 14 days. How many hours did she run?” Burks asks.

  Again, the fourth- and fifth-graders put their heads together to puzzle out the equation, and a designated team member prepares to write the answer on a white dry-erase board.

  “Protect your boards,” Burks reminds them.

  The students have 45 seconds to talk it over; majority rules on the six-member teams.

  “Ten-second warning.”

  Time’s up.

  Some teams get the right answer (7 hours); some don’t.

  Burks and fellow coach Shea Overstreet pause during the after-school practice session to explain the math problem and ask the children who got the correct answer to share with the larger group how they solved the equation.

  Learning. That’s the real focus of the Academic Challenge program, which pits teams of four to six children each from schools and community organizations across the county. Four dozen students from Deep Springs Elementary will test their mettle Saturday, Feb. 2 in the Invitational, to be held at Tates Creek High School.

  “Smokin’ With Knowledge” proclaims their red “game day” T-shirt, emblazoned with a dragon, the school mascot.

  Rachel Stone, 11, who has competed on two previous teams, knows what to expect.

  “Going up on stage in the real tournament makes you get butterflies in your stomach,” she said. But “I’m more excited than nervous because we practice a lot, and I think our team can really win it.”

  DeMarcus Edwards, 10, is not quite as confident since this is his first experience. But this fourth-grader was not shy about signing on for the challenge.

  “It’s a good chance to show your teachers that you’re a good role model,” he said.

  Rachel has advice for DeMarcus and other younger students: Make sure to work with your teammates. “They’ve got to cooperate,” she said knowingly.

  Cooperation is one of the watchwords for Burks and Overstreet, who have led weekly practices for four primary and four intermediate teams since October, drilling the children in math, science, language arts and social studies.

  “If we get it right, we get it right as a team. If we get it wrong, we get it wrong as a team,” Burks said.

  Winning comes and goes, said Overstreet, Deep Springs’ SAFE (in-school suspension) teacher. “We want them to truly learn.”

  The coaches pull from their resources at Deep Springs Elementary, inviting other teachers to come in and help the teams work on specific areas.

  “It helps you learn more so when you talk about (subjects) in class, you’re ahead of your classmates,” said 10-year-old Haley Tinsley, describing a side benefit of the one-hour, weekly team sessions.

  At Monday’s practice, another question is posed – but this time the students misunderstand, with some teams giving a number instead of a word answer.

  “Listen closely to the whole question,” Burks advises.

  The coaches break to review the concept of “median.” That prompts several students to pipe up and share their definitions of “mean,” “range” and “mode.”

  Burks nods appreciatively, allowing time for the children’s digression.

  “Our team members come to practice every week, and they are excited to extend what they have learned during the day,” she said.

  This is Haley’s third year of competition, which means her dad also is prepared.

  “I try to help motivate the kids, but everybody’s a winner no matter what,” said Kirk Tinsley, who is assigned a team to follow and advise during the tournaments.

  “You’ll see kids learning you don’t have to be an athlete to be in competition,” he said. “Academics is just as strong as anything else.”

  Some 221 teams, comprised of roughly 1,300 elementary school students, have registered for the Invitational, which is a partnership between One Community, One Voice and the school district.

  In the tournament format, three teams square off in a classroom. A moderator reads a question, and the children have 45 seconds to confer and write their team’s answer on a white board. Each round includes 20 questions, and each correct answer is worth a point. The winning team advances to the next round. The top three teams (primary and intermediate) eventually meet in the finals.

  Burks and Overstreet took on the coaching duties at Deep Springs Elementary three or four ago. Now, “it’s not a question of whether we’re going to do it or not,” Burks said. “They give more to us than we give to them.”

  She and Overstreet cited building individual relationships and building a sense of community with their students as one of the main perks.

  “They feel like we’re their friend, but they have a great deal of respect (for us),” Overstreet said.

  Tinsley, who might or might not be paired with his daughter’s team at the competitions, expressed similar sentiments. “All the kids at Deep Springs are my kids, too,” he said.

  Rachel’s mother, Kathleen Stone, also will be there to support the students. But she admits to suffering from a nervous happiness. “It’s hard being a parent sitting there when you know the answer and they don’t,” she said, laughing.

  Her tip for parents in the audience, especially first-timers?

 "Encourage your child. … It’s OK when it doesn’t go in their favor.”

  Tinsley agreed. “You keep encouraging them to keep on studying (for the next Challenge),” he said.

  The coaches at Deep Springs Elementary aren’t worried about how their teams will fare. “We always go to represent our school and do our best,” Burks said.

  “They want to compete,” Overstreet added. “They’re ready to show what they know.”

IF YOU GO
Academic Challenge Invitational
What: Single-elimination tournament
Who: More than 1,300 elementary students on 221 teams
When: 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 2 (check-in starts at 8 a.m.)
Where: Tates Creek High School, 1111 Centre Parkway