Academic Bowl Overview 2009-2010
Academic Bowl
The Greater Lawrence Academic Bowl is a five month academic competition involving more than 300 7th and 8th graders from virtually all of the middle schools in Lawrence, Andover, North Andover and Methuen. It was started in 1987 as a means of promoting academic excellence and fostering teamwork between neighboring communities. This is our 24th season. For these students the Academic Bowl strives to:
- increase their knowledge,
- develop their skills,
- stimulate their imaginations,
- showcase their talents,
- strengthen their character, and
- build new friendships, appreciation and understanding between people of diverse backgrounds.
The Academic Bowl is produced by the Multicultural Enrichment Partnership of the Greater Lawrence Educational Collaborative (GLEC). It is made possible by a combination of funding including school district support, PTO support, grants, business and private donations, and fundraisers. We are very grateful to our contributors for their generosity and support.
The Academic Bowl is unique in that it pairs school from different communities to form teams. Every year the pairing of schools changes. See the history of school participation in the Academic Bowl.
Matches
The matches are played from December to April at the participating schools during school hours. Check the latest schedule for the exact times and locations. Visitors are always welcome. Most of the transportation is coordinated by the Greater Lawrence Educational Collaborative. The tournament culminates with the Parent Night/Awards Night at South Lawrence East School in April to which all players and all parents are invited. A final field trip for all the players concludes the season in the spring.
Questions
Questions are based on what the students are learning in school, current events, general knowledge, specific knowledge about the participating communities, and other areas selected by the advisors. There are many different question formats to appeal to a wide range of learning styles.
In addition to the matches, the players will plan a joint service or social activity together, called partner school projects. The Academic Bowl works with the Kiwanis Club of Greater Lawrence and other community groups to create leadership roles for students to build bridges of cooperation and understanding between the communities. The Kiwanis Youth Summit is attended by an 8th grade representative of each school in the Academic Bowl.
Parents
Parents can be involved by:
- Joining the Academic Bowl Parent Advisory Committee
- Helping the advisors with refreshments or the school bulletin board
- Taking and sharing pictures of the matches
- Publicizing and promoting the Academic Bowl in school, among other parents, in the community, through the organizations they belong to and their place of employment
- Coming to matches and supporting the team
- Helping to reinforce the goals of the tournament at home
- Writing an article for your school's newsletter, another publication, or the Academic Bowl Parent Newsletter
- Participating in the basket raffles which culminate on Parent Night
- Making a financial contribution to GLEC
- Serving on the GLEC Multicultural Enrichment Community Advisory Committee
Students, Teachers and Parents
Everyone is encouraged to check here or with your parent representative for the latest announcements, changes, and updates, including the latest scores and standings and the most up to date schedule.
The Greater Lawrence Academic Bowl is organized by:
GLEC Multicultural Enrichment Partnership
Greater Lawrence Educational Collaborative
480 Broadway, Methuen, MA 01844
James L. McConaughy, Director 978-685-3000 x123
Page Last modified: January 22 2010 23:11:12.