AGazine, July 2013

Summer Board Meeting

L-R: Steve Wright (Shelby Township, MI), Craig Zeller (New Orleans), Brother Neal Golden (New Orleans), Rod Beard (West Bloomfield, MI), Dwayne Fontenette (Philadelphia), Stuart White (Ann Arbor, MI), Nancy Kinard (Tequesta, FL), Larry Liss (N. Palm Beach, FL)

The AGLOA Board of Directors met July 12-14 in Knoxville, Tennessee, site of the 2014 National Tournament. At the meeting, the Board:

1. Met with the Knoxville Visitors Bureau to plan off-site activities to be held on Sunday night of the tournament.
2. Changed the pricing policy for the 2014 National Tournament.
3. Revised the deadlines for the national tournament and the penalties for failing to meet those deadlines.
4. Received the report of the 2015 Anniversary Celebration Committee given by Dwayne Fontenette, chair, and Craig Zeller.
   • Reviewed and revised the budget for the celebration.
   • Set in motion the development of a publication (book/magazine) that will be published for the anniversary celebration.
   • Approved the hiring of FatHappy Media (New Orleans) to produce a series of videos that promote Academic Games during the next two years leading to the 2015 Anniversary Tournament. Each member of the Board sat for a videotaped interview to kick off the project.
5. Revised the list of responsibilities for the Tournament Director (Rod Beard) and the Tournament Manager (Larry Liss) and also clarified the function of the Tournament Council and the responsibilities of its members.
6. Appointed Cecil Phibbs of Palm Beach County, FL to take charge of apparel sales at the national tournaments.
7. Asked the Tournament Director to work with the Social Studies Committee to finalize revisions in the Social Studies rules and forms by September 1.
8. Approved seed money to help Dwayne Fontenette begin an Academic Games program in Philadelphia for 2013-14.
9. Discussed awards policies and identified an alternative producer of the Thinker awards and medals.
10. Discussed the initiative begun at the 2013 National Tournament to harmonize the rules of the math games and LinguiSHTIK with a view to presenting specific proposals for consideration at the 2014 National Tournament.
11. Revised the scheduling of WFF’N Proof for the 2014 National Tournament and established benchmarks that must be met for the game to continue to be included on the national tournament schedule.

Contacting Alumni

The year-long celebration for the 50th Anniversary of Academic Games national competitions will kickoff at the 2014 National Tournament in Knoxville, so a number of initiatives must begin as soon as possible. The Anniversary Committee has provided the following timeline for local leagues to do their part in making the anniversary celebration as inclusive as possible.

Reading Games Proposals

The following proposals are under consideration for 2013-14:

• All students must write with blue or black ink pens. Neither pencils nor markers will be acceptable.
• There will be no changing of answers.
• If a student writes an answer on the wrong line on the answer sheet, he/she must ask a monitor to verify moving the answer to the correct line. The monitor will verify moving the answer to the correct line and assess a -1 penalty. We recommend that the monitor write the penalty directly on the score sheet and initial it.

We are aware that the score sheets may need to be redesigned to have a spot for penalties. These recommendations follow many practices being used at the state and local level. We believe it will make play run smoother and force players to be more conscientious.

2013 Outstanding Senior – Abigail Lusk (RESA II, WV)

From the nomination by Karen Arms, Brenda Saunders, Phyllis Doty, Marsha Arms, Amy Lusk, and Danielle Vance:

Abby Lusk has been in Academic Games since fifth grade, but she has had the honor of attending the national competition only since seventh grade. Last year (2012) was the all-time glory for her experiences so far due to Abby’s team winning first place in World Events.

The outset of her Academic Games career was challenging and rugged, but she soon learned a life lesson. In sixth grade, Abby did not advance to Nationals while her older and younger brothers did. She was devastated and wanted to quit the program. Thankfully, Ms. Arms, Abby’s coach, believed in her abilities to succeed. She said, “Abby, you are not allowed to give up until I do!” Here she is today, a new woman. This competition showed Miss Lusk to never give up because of an arduous start or minor setbacks. Ever since this event, her self-confidence has soared. Consequently, Abby’s grades, study habits, and goals in life have become superior to previous expectations that she illustrated for herself.

Academic Games gives one a sense of knowledge that average high school students lack. Abby finds herself making comments about topics such as James Buchanan being the only bachelor president. Then shortly after, she realizes that most are not aware of this fact, so she appreciates the advantages she has gained through these practices and competitions.

Abby would claim that she has been shaped to the individual that she is today with help from AGLOA. Her outgoing personality, passion for helping and learning, and love of meeting new people all stem from the coaches, participants, and advisors of Academic Games. The individuals that Abby has come across have influenced her life as well. These academic gamers have opened her eyes to diverse personalities, so she has learned not to judge others and always make an effort to become familiar with and be nice to everyone.

Abby is the “Mom” of this group of seniors. She brings all—young and old—back together and makes sure all needs are taken care of four our teams. She has an empathetic heart that can relate to all problems and needs.

AGLOA has made Abby and numerous others relate fun with academics. AGLOA demonstrates for Abby how to incorporate laughs and education. She can bring a fun environment to school, studying, and other serious life events to come. Abby gives thanks to this excellent program for influencing and transforming her for the better, so that she may spread Academic Games to those who are unaware of the great advantages from this organization.

Down Memory Lane

A crucial proposal in the history of Academic Games came in 1979: Play variations in Elementary Division On-Sets but not Restrictions.

With this proposal came the associated rule for Elementary Division: The player shaking the cubes will first set out either two V and one / cube or vice-versa. The alternative proposal, the Goal-setter keeps rolling the three Restriction cubes until no = or C cubes are left, was rejected.