Bloomington High School South, The Gothic, 2007, Page 179

Description:	^^cademic ClubsMaking it realStory by Megan CampbellA want ad for academic club members might read something like this: wanted:well-dressed, intelligent, quick thinking male or female Bloomington High School SouthStudent. Must like long bus trips, be very committed, and willing to work hard.JETS, Spell Bowl, Speech and Debate Team, Science Olympiad, and AcademicSuper Bowl were some of the academic-centered organizations students could join. Andstudents from all walks of life strolled into the world of these clubs. Why not? Long busrides that took students across the state, and hanging out with friends were pretty sweetendeavors- even if it did require hours and hours of studying and preparation.But, there were many misconnceptions about these clubs. For example, a mistakennotion about Spell Bowl was that contestants walked up to a microphone and stared downan entire audience while mustering the nerves to squeak out a spelling, all the while hope-ing the answer was correct. According to junior Sheema Qurashi, those mispereceptionscame from movies like the popular Spellbound that showed spoken competitions. In fact,that was not the case; Spell Bowl contestants actually wrote the word and then held it up tobe judged.There was also misunderstanding about Speech and Debate Team. For example,because of the name, it was implied that the contestants actually debated. However, moreSpeech members chose to compete in other areas including: radio (singing impromptujingles), memorized and unmemorized humorous pieces, original oratory, and memorizedduo. Junior Courtney Deckard competed in the domestic extemporaneous category. Shestudied outside articles and wrote a five minute impromptu speech on a political sciencetopic.Despite having to do a great deal of work, a significant number of students participated in academic clubs, and succeeded wherever they went. For example, the JETS teamplaced sixth in nationals, and eight Speech team members went to state.However, Deckard said, for most team members the best part of being involvedwas the chance to make lasting friendships...especially on those long bus-rides!Above: Sophomore Elena Panteleevagives a speech for the Speech TeamInvitational. The speeches were givento and judged by a series of teachers,and the South team placed sixth at thistournament.Senior Erica Pointer speaks into her HAM radiofor the annual SCR competition. The club contacted 33 states, six Canadian provinces, andsix other countries during this years competition, winning fourth place in the nation.Academic CtubseT)OT.^Activities
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomsouth/id/7703
Collection:	Bloomington High School South

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