(Cleveland, OH) - The Cardinal Jr./Sr. High School was well represented at the Nordson Academic Challenge on October 8th, 2024. Mr. James Kennedy took three students to the WEWS _ Channel 5 news station located in Cleveland, Ohio. Juniors Emma Clinger, Evan Everett, and Grayson Yoder were excused from classes to participate in the annual Academic Challenge which aired on January 11th.
The Nordson Academic Challenge originally began in Westlake, Ohio and was founded in 1954. The Academic Challenge is currently sponsored by Nordson Corporation which is a “global manufacturing company of different products for dispensing adhesives, coatings, sealants, and other material,” located in Westlake, Ohio. “Nordson operates out of 35 other countries, and is the leader in precision dispensing, fluid management, and related technologies,” (Nordson 2024). The weekly game show airs every Saturday morning, and is hosted by news anchor, Rob Powers.
For starters, the trio was established by Cardinal Jr./Sr. High School teacher James Kennedy who began his sixth season as a math teacher in August. The instructor has taken a number of students to compete in this local game show, and hopes to be selected for more years to come.
His participating students consisted of the following Emma Clinger, Evan Everett, and Grayson Yoder. Emma, a current junior at Cardinal Jr./Sr. High School participates in many activities. She currently serves as the marching bands' drum major and is a proud member of the women’s soccer team. During the spring, she throws the shot put and discus for the track and field team. Clinger also participates in a number band classes and drama productions. She proudly serves on the school’s Student Council group.
Next up, Evan Everett is also a junior. He has participated in marching and concert band classes and also ran Cross Country in years past. He also enjoys enrolling in Engineering and Manufacturing courses at Cardinal such as; Intro to AutoCAD and Intro to SolidWorks.
Lastly, Grayson Yoder who is also a junior and participates in Marching Band and Concert Band along with Cross Country. For the past couple of years, Yoder has played piano in the school's Jazz Band. He has also participated in Track and Field events during the spring. Yoder is currently enrolled in several honors and college credit plus courses that are offered at Cardinal High School.
For all of these students, the practice procedure was something that was not all planned out. The event requires a number of students who are chosen to represent their school, and for Everett and Yoder, their journey was a bit different. Both students were notified just days before the competition due to last minute schedule changes for a number of students.
“Our process wasn't very standard compared to other schools. Mr. Kennedy asked specific people if they would be interested and a few weeks later we got to go to the studio,” said Clinger on how her group was chosen.
As for Yoder, he took practicing into his own hands. “For practices, I watched a lot of the previous game shows to study the questions.”
None of the students seemed to let their emotions play a factor in their competition day. But some talked about the downfall of not feeling prepared leading up to the event.
“I was quite nervous at the beginning of the competition, knowing that we had to answer questions against two other schools who seemed much more well-prepared than us,” said Yoder. The students competed against Glenoak High School located in Canton, Ohio and New Philadelphia High School, just past Strasburg, Ohio about an hour and forty-five minutes south of Middlefield. Despite the students not feeling prepared enough, they did enjoy the experience, and the district was proud to see them.
“The studio was cool to see," said Yoder. “There were a lot of cameras and lights rooted in the ceiling in an entanglement of chords. The casting team was also smaller than I had expected. The cameraman would have us remain silent, then he would make the crowd cheer at the beginning of the recording.”
Located in Cleveland, Ohio, the WEWS - Channel 5 studio is just fifty minutes west of Middlefield.
“The competition process was a little nerve racking, but the studio seemed very welcoming even though there was a lot of technology setup. There were only two other schools with three people each and they were very skilled,” said Everett of his team’s competition.
Several of the students described what the experience was like, including the scenic differences while in the studio and city. Evan talked about the chivalry that all the staff displayed.
“Everyone working the set was focused on making sure all the competitors were okay, and after every cut, the host would check on everyone to make sure we weren't too nervous,” said Clinger of the process. “I knew a ton of answers but the other teams were significantly faster at pressing the buzzer so I didn't get a chance to answer in those rounds.”
There were a number of Cardinal parents and families that were able to show their support of our Huskies in the audience. However, no cast member or supporter could post about this event prior to the show airing on television.
After the season is over, the winning team is awarded $6,000 in grants. The opening round consists of a “Lightning Round” in which the contestants compete against all three teams. If the contestant gets the answer correct, they earn 20 points, however an incorrect answer or if your team buzzes in, and does not answer in time, they lose 20 points. To begin with, each team starts with 100 points already on the board.
During the second round, teams compete in the “Hot Picks” round. Rob Powers will ask each school eight questions, a correct answer earns them 20 points, but there is no penalty for a wrong answer. A team that can answer all eight questions correctly, will earn 25 bonus points.
In the third round titled “Picture Perfect,” teams compete against each other head-to-head once again. Adding another 20 points to your team’s score with a correct answer, while an incorrect answer or no answer subtracts 20 points from your current score. A picture will appear on the monitor, along with a clue given by Rob Powers where the teams will have to buzz in with the correct answer. After this round, the teams will compete in a “Mix it Up” challenge where a team can earn 20 more points after answering their six questions given to them individually. An incorrect answer will not hurt them and a team that can answer all six questions correctly, earn another bonus round of 25 points.
The final round is titled, “The Grab Bag Round” where it is considered a free for all for all teams participating. Scores begin to heat up because each correct answer is now increased to 30 points, while also being penalized for answering incorrectly or not answering at all. At the end of this round, the team with the highest score wins the game.
Our students thoroughly enjoyed themselves, but they also described what they would have changed if possible.
“My favorite part of the experience was seeing the production process, and being surprised about how casual and simple it was,” said Yoder. “My least favorite part of the experience was probably the nerves of having to speak into a microphone that will soon be broadcasted on TV!”
Evan talked about better preparing himself and the rest of his team for the next time. “I would probably try to be more prepared and be prepared to answer more questions faster. I learned that TV sets are more welcoming than they originally seem. But, my favorite part was being able to help my team answer questions and my least favorite part was the many delays of the show that added on an extra hour of having to be there,” said Everett.
“The only things I would change are that I would practice for the actual competition so I wouldn't be so nervous going into it. I would say the answers myself instead of telling my teammates the answers, and I would keep my hand on the buzzer so I could press it faster,” said Clinger of her strategy for next time. My least favorite part was the short amount of time you had to answer, or the waiting period before the actual show because I didn't know what to expect and it made me nervous. My favorite part was when my team got over being nervous and started just making the most of being there,” said Clinger of the experience.