CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Teams from Tug Valley High School and Ripley High School took first and second place honors, respectively, at the first West Virginia Academic Showdown competition hosted by Marshall University today. These two teams have qualified for the statewide championship in Charleston on March 25. Additional teams competing today were Logan Senior High School, Spring Valley High School, and Wayne High School. 

“I’m definitely excited about going to Charleston and having the opportunity to compete in an academic competition,” said Cassidy Griffey, team captain from Tug Valley High School. “Today was really exciting for me and for Tug Valley High.” 

“Education is everything. It was our goal from the beginning to get to the top two, and so after we got there, we felt a lot more relaxed,” said Carter Cochran, team captain from Ripley High School. “We have more time to practice now, and we’ll be ready for the championship.” 

Championed by West Virginia Senate President Craig Blair, the Academic Showdown is a new academic competition for West Virginia high school students that brings teams together from across the state for five regional matchups on college campuses. The initiative represents a partnership among 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. 

Competition questions cover literature, math, history, science, geography, fine arts, religion/mythology, social science, philosophy, current events, pop culture and general knowledge. Twenty-nine (29) teams of four students from grades 9-12 from 19 high schools are participating in this inaugural year. 

The remaining regional competitions will be held at Shepherd University on Jan. 22, West Virginia University on Jan. 29, Concord University on Feb. 12, and West Virginia State University on Feb. 19. The first and second place winning teams from each competition will face off at the West Virginia Culture Center on March 25 during the Academic Showdown championship, which will be broadcast live by West Virginia Public Broadcasting. 

The West Virginia Academic Showdown utilizes official National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT) questions for all regional and championship matches. Competition rules are posted on the WVDE website.