Quiz Bowl

In my other blog, I spoke of the quiz bowl team that I
started here at Olive Branch High School. When I was at Ole
Miss, I helped moderate quiz bowl competitions for five
years. In addition my current roommate (and a teacher at
OBHS) helped moderate, as well. So, since my both had so
much knowledge of the quiz bowls, it would only seem
appropriate if we started a quiz bowl team. Also, a friend
of mine moved to Olive Branch, and he was actually in charge
of the quiz bowls at the University. (That is how we meet
him plus through a mutual friend.) So with all this
knowledge, of the competition we decided to start a quiz
bowl team. By the first of September, we had fifteen
dedicated students. They loved the competitions, and they
grew to love the practices. At times, they even refused to
leave practices. They wanted to stay and practice longer.
October came, and it was time for competition. With only
two months of practice, I thought that our time excelled to
a high level. I knew that we would be competitive, but I
never thought we would do as well as we actually did. We
placed 2nd in our bracket, and 9th in the overall
tournament. I was so excited for them. I know that as we
continue to practice, we will get better and better. Our
next tournament is in March. We are already busy at work
for this tournament. I love quiz bowl because it gives me a
chance to work with the extremely smart kids, and they all
have great personalities. In the end, it is one of the most
rewarding things that I have done since I became a teacher.

My Plans for Next Years

My plans for next year are easy. As most everyone knows, I
am in this profession for the long haul. I am not one of
those who plans to teach for a couple of years and then move
on to that big fine office with the big leather chair. That
is not for me. I plan to continue to teach in Olive Branch.
In fact, I have every intention of being here for at least
25 years. I enjoy my job. I love the people that I work
with, and I have made lasting friendships at this school. I
have a very wonderful administration, and they support me
110%. Most importantly, I love the kids. They are always a
lot of fun, and they add interest to sometimes a dull day.
I plan to continue to coach our newly founded Quiz Bowl
Team. When I was at Ole Miss, I always helped with the
UMAIT and Brain Brawl Quiz Bowl Competitons. When I came
here to Olive Branch, I was shocked to discover that one of
the largest high schools in the state did not have a quiz
bowl team. So, I (along with some help) set out to found a
quiz bowl team. We did so, and they are already performing
extremely well. So, as for next year, I plan to continue to
work with them. In truthfulness, I am looking forward to
next year. I believe that as I continue to teach, I will
become a better teacher, and hopefully, one day, I will
reach that "Master Teacher" level.

Homecoming

Well, after a long two weeks, the day has finally arrived. That is correct, today is homecoming. For the past two weeks, I have been helping with the freshman float. I was asked about three weeks ago to be the chairman of the freshman float. I graciously accepted the offer. Mostly because I love working on stuff like this, and it sort of took me back to my former years of high school. All week has been Spirit Week. It has been so much fun. The kids really got into it, but most of all, the teachers got into it (including myself). Monday was career day and I went as a farmer. Tuesday was Halloween Day and I went as Santa Claus. Wednesday was pajama day, and I was happy to go in my Ole Miss pajamas all day long. Thursday was 80 year old day. Yes, I came as an 80 year old with the walker and everything. Today was Blue and Gold Day. This year, the theme for homecoming was OB Pride (recommended by myself and another teacher). We decided to go with this theme since we recently split into multiple high schools. This would allow the kids to have a sense of what it is actually like to have OB Pride. The theme of our float was Take A Ride With OB Pride. It included race cars, and the kids waved blue and yellow checkered flags. The kids had a great time with it. The truth is, I think I did as well. The point is this. High School cannot be just about work. It has to promote a sense of duty and pride. To me, that is exactly what was done here today.