Latest News
Persinger Takes Over as KAAC Board President
On May 11, KAAC installed its newest Board president, Brad Persinger from Germantown.
Persinger has been involved with academic competition as a coach for various schools, Commissioner of the Limestone Academic League since 2010, and is KAAC Board President for the 2012-2013 season. He holds a BS in Biology, a MA in Teaching for secondary biological science, and a MS in Public Health. He currently works as the Health Careers Program Coordinator for the North Central Area Health Education Center and serves as Mayor of the City of Germantown, KY. He also volunteers as a local firefighter/first responder, search & rescue team member, medical reserve corps member, CERT trainer, and Red Cross Board member.
“Hunger Games” Star Touts Future Problem Solving on Letterman
Union, Kentucky native Josh Hutcherson of The Hunger Games, on Late Night, mentions his brother Connor’s fifth place finish at the International Future Problem Solving competition. That part of the interview begins about the 2:00 mark.
KAAC Partners with University of the Cumberlands
January 4, 2012
KAAC Executive Director John Bennett announced today that the University of the Cumberlands will partner with KAAC to sponsor five High School Governor’s Cup Regional sites in February 2012. The sponsorship includes Governor’s Cup Regions 9, 11, 12, 13 and 14, which encompass Northern, Central and Southeastern Kentucky.
According to University of the Cumberlands President Dr. Jim Taylor, “University of the Cumberlands is excited about partnering with the Kentucky Association for Academic Competition to sponsor regional Governor’s Cup competitions. We wish the best to all competitors. Like KAAC, our goal each day is to support young people in their pursuit of academic achievement.”
Located in Williamsburg, Kentucky, University of the Cumberlands is an institution of regional distinction, which currently offers four undergraduate degrees in more than 40 major fields of study; nine pre-professional programs; seven graduate degrees, including a doctorate and six master’s degrees; certifications in education; and online programs.
High School Regional Governor’s Cup is scheduled for February 14th and 18. For a complete listing of competition pairings and host sites, visit http://www.kaac.com .
For more information about University of the Cumberlands, visit http://www.ucumberlands.edu.
Carr Joins Ranks of KAAC Quick Recall Trainers
Rick Carr from Walton, KY has been selected as a KAAC Quick Recall trainer.
Rick was an academic team member at Lincoln Elementary School in Dayton, and at Campbell County High School. He graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a B.S. in Mathematics Education, going on to teach and coach at Trimble County High School from 2003 to 2007. Carr worked as a stock broker for the next few years, recently resigning his position to start his own company. Carr is Commissioner of the Northern Kentucky Academic League.
“I am looking forward to working with coaches throughout the state in being better prepared for KAAC competitions,” Carr stated.
Carr has been married to his wife, Megan, for eight years. Together they have two sons, Michael (4) and Alexander (almost 2), and a cat named Pythagoras (Pi for short).
History Bowl Founder to Award Twelve $250 Grants
UPDATE: Congratulations to Adair County High School, Shelby County Middle School and Daviess County Middle School for winning $250 grants.
-Editor’s note: National History Bee and Bowl founder David Madden recently announced that his charitable trust will award twelve $250 grants to academic team programs across the nation. Here is his announcement:
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Hi Everyone,
I am pleased to announce that the David Madden Fund for World Betterment will be offering 12 $250 grants to quizbowl teams throughout the country. Here’s how this is going to work:
Q.: Why are you doing this?
A.: After I was on Jeopardy in 2005, I donated a considerable amount of my winnings to a charitable giving fund. I got the immediate tax break, but did not have to specify how the money was to be donated. These grants are designed to help encourage the growth and development of quizbowl throughout the USA. Any benefit to the National History Bee and Bowl is purely incidental. In fact, I am insisting that this money is NOT TO BE SPENT on any NHBB tournament or travel to or from such.
Q.: Who can apply for this?
A.: Any high school or middle school team in the USA that can process a donation through an IRS recognized non-profit is eligible for this grant. No distinction will be made between public, private, or parochial schools. The only qualification is that you send the name of a non-profit and their IRS tax number to me at director at historybowl dot com by Friday, October 28 at 8pm Eastern time. For many public schools, this is something like “Random Name High School Educational Foundation” or “Random City Educational Foundation.” Coaches and captains – talk to your school’s administration to see what might work for your school. I will post all of those schools who apply in the second post of this thread. The only other requirement is that schools have something tangible in mind that they would like to spend the money on, but I do NOT want to know what this is until AFTER you have been notified that you have won. This money is not meant to be put away in a “general fund” indefinitely.
Grants can only be made to IRS-qualified public charities. These are organizations that are described in Section 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1), (a)(2) or (a)(3) of the Code and applicable regulations and IRS authority, or are private operating foundations as described in Section 4942(j)(3) of the Code and applicable regulations and IRS authority.
Q.: How will the determination be made?
A.: At Hunter College High School’s tournament on October 29, some other attending coach will watch me write all the names of schools that have applied on an index card. These will be folded in half and placed into an opaque trash bag. The bag will be shaken vigorously by someone other than me. A third and blindfolded person will then reach in and withdraw 12 index cards and hand them one by one to the bagshaker who will orally announce the identities of the schools. As you can tell, I intend this to be done in a fair and systematic manner.
Q.: What can we spend the money on?
A.: Whatever your team deems appropriate, as long as it is quizbowl related and does NOT involve the National History Bee and Bowl. This could include a new buzzer system, money to cover travel expenses, tournament registrations, etc. In the interest of full transparency, though, schools that win are required to submit notification of what they intend to spend the money on AFTER they have been notified they have won. Don’t tell me before. Those ideas will be posted in the second post of this thread. Again, schools need to have an idea to spend it on something though, and that something cannot be on a “college scholarship for team members” or “a pizza party” or something stupid and irrelevant.
Q.: When will we be notified if we’ve won?
A.: Winning schools will be notified by email on the evening of October 29. Winning schools will be posted here that same evening.
Q.: When will the grants come through?
A.: I will submit the grants to Fidelity by October 31. They typically take 3-6 days to be approved. The money will then be sent to the IRS non-profit by the end of November. Do not plan on having the money to use for any November tournaments.
Q.: Anything else?
A.: Nope, that’s it! Oh, I continue to work ahead with the idea for a national donation site for quiz bowl teams. ETA, sometime next spring or summer. I will keep you all posted. Good luck and I hope to hear from you soon! Remember, I need the name of a foundation/IRS-recognized non-profit that you know can accept a donation on your team’s behalf before I can accept your team’s application.
