Scholastic Bowl

“It has become an absolutely politicized issue, and a phony one at that.” — Councilman John Drayman on Glendale Unified School District Board of Education President Greg Krikorian’s earlier call for more cooperation and collaboration between the two government bodies.   “We’re here tonight because there’s a new City Council sitting on the dais. There’s no way the old City Council would have touched this.

Alecia Foster LA CRESCENTA -- For Clark Magnet High senior Jimmy Kan, getting good grades wasn't about the quest to become salutatorian or valedictorian. "It's just about doing your best in school," he said. As his high school years come to a close, Kan, 18, will stand among the top students in his class along with friend and fellow senior Samantha Lawler. Kan has been named salutatorian while Lawler has been named valedictorian. School officials kept a close eye on the two students' grades during the last few months, knowing their grade-point averages were close and the final results could go either way. Lawler's flawless high school record of straight A's for her entire four years won out in the end. In fact, her record extends back into middle school.

Claudia Peschiutta CLARK MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL - Her work consists of a lot more than fines and filing. As a library media teacher, Susan Newcomer has made going to the library an integral part of the educational program at Clark Magnet High School. When a teacher had her students write Gothic short stories, Newcomer pulled together background information on everything from architecture to story elements. For a class preparing to visit a Van Gogh exhibit, she selected Web sites to help the students identify works by the Dutch painter.

Rima Shah SOUTHEAST GLENDALE -- The defending Scholastic Bowl champions emerged as the winners again in this year's competition Monday at the Glendale High School Auditorium. The news was not surprising to David Kim, a 12th-grade member of the winning Hoover High team. "Always, always!" Kim said, sitting on the stage floor, affirming that his school was leading at the end of the first round. The team members, however, had worked hard to attain such confidence.

Amber Willard GLENDALE -- These teens know split infinitives. They know psychology, art history, math and science too. And come Monday, they'll know who knows the most. Four-person teams from four local high schools are meeting up Monday for the annual Scholastic Bowl in which the students, as well as one alternate, are tested on a range of subjects. For the first phase of the competition, each team member wrote an essay earlier this week about whether they believe minors should be tried as adults.

HUMOR IN ACADEMIA Local weathercaster and funnyman Fritz Coleman kept the mood light at last week's Scholastic Bowl between four area high schools. "Welcome to the Scholastic Bowl, or as we refer to it, 'Academic Survivor,"' Coleman joked, referring to a popular CBS television show. Coleman, who has hosted the competition for several years, went on to talk about the banners identifying each school. "When I first got here, it was white recycled boards with spray paint.

Editor's Note: Numerous instances of plagiarism have been discovered in Dan Kimber's “Education Matters” column, which ran in the News- Press from September 2003 to September 2011. In those columns where plagiarism has been found, a For the Record specifying the details will be appended to the piece. The man-versus-computer contest played out on Jeopardy last month resulted in a victory of artificial intelligence over human intelligence. IBM is celebrating its centennial year, and the company's supercomputer, Watson, demonstrated just how far computing technology has come.

Those planning to attend the state PTA convention are reminded they can take advantage of a discounted fee by making their reservations early. Other benefits of registering early are saving time in the registration line and receiving additional information that will help you plan your trip to Sacramento from April 28 to May 1 at the Sacramento Convention Center. You'll return home with new ideas, improved skills and recharged energy. The convention is an excellent PTA investment, the ultimate leadership experience and a legitimate PTA budget expense.

Gary Moskowitz SOUTHEAST GLENDALE -- Crescenta Valley High School will defend its scholastic title at the 2002 High School Scholastic Bowl later this month. Glendale Unified's High School Scholastic Bowl is an academic competition in math, science, history, language arts and fine arts. The competition will be at 7 p.m. Monday, March 18, in the Glendale High School auditorium, 1440 E. Broadway. KNBC-TV Channel 4 weatherman Fritz Coleman will quiz student teams from Crescenta Valley, Clark Magnet, Glendale and Hoover high schools.