Fugett Middle School Will Host State Word Power Challenge
One hundred middle school students from throughout Pennsylvania will converge on Fugett Middle School March 19 to compete in a state vocabulary contest that will determine who will travel to Orlando, FL for national finals in May.
The students, including three from Fugett itself, qualified by first achieving the highest grade level score in their school in the Word Power Challenge sponsored by Reader’s Digest. The school winners then took an on-line test.
Questions for the Word Power Challenge, provided by Reader’s Digest, address students’ knowledge of vocabulary in a variety of formats. Some questions, for instance, require students to provide a straight definition; others require knowledge of a word’s antonym or its proper use in a sentence.
Not all of the words are in common use, and in fact, at least some of the sample questions provided on the contest’s website would challenge the average adult. For instance, students are asked what an alacritous stranger might say, and given these choices:
a) I’ll be glad to help.
b) Your secret is safe with me.
c) It’s not about the money.
d) I’m your worst nightmare.
The contest is open to English speaking students in grades four through eight, but only students in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades are eligible to advance to the state level.
Students in all English classes at Fugett participated in the first round in December, with each class producing a champion who advanced to the grade level challenges. All three grade level champions – eighth grader Lexi Bazzini, seventh grader Jesse Hanlan, and sixth grader Ting Ying Shang – were among the highest scoring students across the state who qualified for the state contest.
English teacher Nancy Barsa is coordinating the competition at Fugett. Nearly 30 staff volunteers will act as moderators, timekeepers, and scorekeepers at the state competition while the Student council will provide hospitality, users, and greeters.
All states will be holding their finals on March 19. The first place state winners will advance to Orlando for the nationals, with Reader’s Digest paying the transportation and accommodation expenses for each of the winners and a teacher/escort. Al Roker will host the finals, which will be televised throughout the country. First, second, and third place prizes in the national competition are a $25,000, $15,000, and $10,000 college scholarship, respectively, plus Reader’s Digest products for the student’s school.
(In the same question, “alacritous is the adjective form of “alacrity.” The answer is a – I’ll be glad to help.”)
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