A regional academic contest for high schoolers who are deaf and hard of hearing drew 80 students from about a dozen western states to the campus of University High School in Irvine over the weekend.
While a team representing the OCDE Deaf and Hard of Hearing performed admirably, earning its way into the quarterfinals, the tournament was ultimately won by California School for the Deaf in Riverside.
Established in 1997 to promote academics, sportsmanship and social opportunities, the Gallaudet University Academic Bowl consists of question-and-answer matches that reward general knowledge and quick recall. Teams of four compete in the following categories: social studies; language and literature; science and technology; mathematics; arts and entertainment; deaf studies; current events; potpourri; and pop culture, leisure and sports.
Gallaudet University organizes four regional competitions a year, accommodating a total of 80 high school teams from across the U.S. From those contests, 20 teams advance to the national showdown at Gallaudet in Washington, D.C.
This year, the West Regional Academic Bowl was staged at Irvine’s University High, which is home to OCDE’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing program under Principal Dave Longo.
Preliminary matches, each comprising three rounds, took place all day on Saturday, March 10. The playoff tournament, featuring the top-seeded 16 teams, was held the following Sunday, leading up to the championship match that evening.