FRANKLIN, Tennessee–The second Tennessee Star Constitution Bee, sponsored by the Polk Foundation, will be held in Franklin, Tennessee tomorrow, Saturday April 28 at the Main Auditorium of the Williamson County Administrative Complex.
The doors open at 8 a.m., and the competition will begin at 9 a.m., and is expected to wrap up around noon. Participating secondary school contestants are encouraged to arrive by 8:30 a.m. so they can receive their contestant number and have their pictures taken. Students who have not yet signed up online to compete will be allowed to participate if they sign up on site between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.
The event is open to the public, which is invited to attend.
All Tennessee secondary school students in grades 8 through 12 are eligible to participate. Questions will be based on the book, The Tennessee Star Guide to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights for Secondary School Students, which is available free of charge.
The winner of the individual competition will be awarded a $3,000 scholarship from the Andrew Woodfin Miller Foundation and will win a free trip for two (themselves and a parent) to Washington, D.C.
In addition to the individual championship, at least eleven high school teams and one home school team will be competing for the Tennessee Star Constitution Bee High School State Championship. High schools that are currently scheduled to be represented include:
Central Magnet in Murfreesboro, Sycamore High School in Cheatham County, Columbia Central High School, Father Ryan, Homeschoolers of Middle Tennessee, Independence High School, Overton High School in Nashville, Lincoln County High School, McGavock High School in Nashville, Mt. Juliet High School, Page Middle School, and Stewart County High School.
Michael G. Sheppard, Claudia Henneberry, and David Garcia will serve as judges at the event, and Michael Patrick Leahy, CEO & Editor-in-chief of The Tennessee Star, will serve as master of ceremonies.
Norman Bobo will manage the audio/visual presentation of questions, Mark Skoda will serve as the volunteer supervisor of the Bonus Question Bench, and Jennifer Wilcox will serve as the volunteer supervisor of the Friends of the Court Bench. Kevin and Laura Baigert are volunteers in charge of awards and certificates. Another volunteer will serve as the High School Competition Scorekeeper.
Rebecca Burke will be in attendance and recognized for her work as chairman of the organizing committee. Last September’s Constitution Bee winner, home schooled senior Noah Farley, will be recognized for his accomplishment.
The Agenda for the Tennessee Star Constitution Bee, April 28, 2018 can be seen here below:
8:00 am – Doors Open. Arriving students receive name tags and contestant number tags and have their pictures taken.
Each student who participates as a contestant will earn 1 point for their high school. The high school with the most points at the end of the Bee wins the High School Team State Constitution Bee Championship. Second and Third Place High Schools will also be recognized.
On-site signups of contestants who did not sign up online will be accepted between 8:00 am and 8:30 am.
8:30 am – All students are encouraged to arrive by this time.
9:00 to 9:05 am – Pledge of Allegiance
9:05 to 9:10 am – Introduction of Judges (Michael G. Sheppard, Claudia Henneberry, David Garcia) Acknowledgment of Previous Champion (Noah Farley) and Chairman of the Organizational Committee (Rebecca Burke), Explanation of Rules by Master of Ceremonies Michael Patrick Leahy
9:10 to 9:30 am – Preamble Challenge – 3 awards will be given by judges at the end of the competition — Most Creative, Most Entertaining, Most Persuasive. Students winning one of these awards earn 1 point for their high school team.
9:30 to 9:45 am – Round 1 Questions (Multiple Choice or True False) — Students with incorrect responses go to the Bonus Question Bench.
Mark Skoda is our volunteer leader who will supervise contestants while in the Bonus Question Bench.
9:45 to 10:00 am – Round 2 Questions (Multiple Choice or True False) — Students with incorrect responses go to the Bonus Question Bench
10:00 to 10:10 am – Bonus Question Redemption Round — Students in the Bonus Question Bench get an intermediate level question requiring a specific response. If they get it right, they go back to the contestant pool. If they get it wrong, they go to the Friends of the Court Bench, where they can be called on by contestants who don’t know an answer,)
10:10 to 10:30 am – Round 3 Questions — Intermediate level of difficulty. Contestants can “Ask a Friend of the Court” one time for help, by identifying the friend of the court by contestant number. Correct answers provided as help to a contestant for the individual championship by a student in the Friends of the Court Bench earn one point for the high school team of the friend of the court. Students in the Friend of the Court will earn 1 point for their high school if they provide the correct answer even if the responding contestant chooses not to accept their answer when delivering their final answer to judges. Students with correct answers go on to Round 4. Students with incorrect answers go to the Friends of the Court Bench.
Jennifer Wilcox, Project Coordinator for The Tennessee Star Constitution Bee, will supervise contestants while they are in the Friends of the Court Bench.
10:30 to 10:45 am – Intermission
10:45 to 11:00 am – Round 4 Questions (More Complex)
11:00 to 11:15 am – Round 5 Questions (Even More Complex)
11:15 to 11:30 am – Essay Round Questions (Require longer form response by contestants) — This round will begin when there are 10 or fewer contestants at the end of any round. Based on contestant responses to the essay round questions, judges will determine 3 to 5 Championship Round contestants. Contestants will not be able to “Ask a Friend of the Court” in this round or beyond.
11:30 am to noon – Championship Round (3 to 5 remaining contestants)
Each student in the Championship Round will be asked a difficult question. Rounds will continue until there is only one student who has answered every question correctly.
If all students in a round of questions answer incorrectly, none are eliminated, and another round of questioning begins.
The first place individual champion will earn 10 points for their high school team. The second place finisher will earn 5 points for their high school team. The third place finisher will earn 3 points for their high school team.
