The Online Magazine of the Academic Games Leagues of America
AGLOA News & Notes |
A Score Lord Speaks |
Down Memory Lane | Past AGazines |
Colorado Comes to Nationals! Nearly 360 fourth and fifth grade students from the St. Vrain (CO) school district participated in the Equations Game Day in Longmont on February 17. Play was conducted at three levels: basic, some variations, and Nationals variations. The event was sponsored by the district’s Gifted and Talented Program under the direction of Michelle Frey. The previous evening, 30 students interested in qualifying for the national tournament played their final Equations rounds. As a result, five Elementary and five Middle players will attend Nationals next month in West Virginia. This marks the first participation from students that far west in AGLOA history. As a result of the superintendent’s visit to the Equations competition, St. Vrain will conduct a summer program for children wishing to learn Equations and Propaganda. |
Academic Challenge Cup Equations Tournament This annual competition was held March 12-15 at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. The Gifted Resource Council sponsors the tournament as well as an annual LinguiSHTIK tournament. The competition followed some interesting rules which are different from the AGLOA National Tournament rules.
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Events across the AGLOA leagues during the next month:
If your league’s events are not listed, please send us your schedule. |
A Score Lord Speaks Jim Davis was a mere pup when he began coaching Academic Games. A former metal shop teacher got him involved. Jim was in his second year of teaching out of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The principal (and former shop teacher) at Springdale Junior High just north of Pittsburgh disappeared for a week. Turns out he was at a workshop learning how to play the games.
The founder of the National Academic Games Project, Bob Allen, identified ten school systems in the Pittsburgh area and conducted the workshop that began what became the Western Pennsylvania Academic Games League (WPAGL). Bob would come to Pittsburgh to conduct the one-day competitions in each game. Jim’s first Nationals was in 1968 in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Jim was a member of the first Mathematics Rules Committee for the National Academic Games Project. Mr. Davis is remembered most as the long time Nationals chief scorekeeper, a position he created.
Jim and Stu became the “Score Lords” who presided over the “Throne Zone”, which was the room at Rock Eagle 4H Center (GA) where scoring was done. The dynamic duo also entertained the adults the final night of the tournament with their takeoff on Johnny Carson’s Carnac the Magnificent routine. Jim was honored in 1975 when Bob Allen established the Jim Davis Award for Outstanding Coordinators, making Jim the first recipient. AGLOA has continued the award without Jim’s name on it since he is one of the founders of the organization. He is also a member of the AGLOA Hall of Fame as a coach whose teams won 24 national championships in all three areas, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Language Arts. Jim has been retired from teaching since 1998.
After retirement, Jim continued to teach math classes at the local junior college, although he is now retired from that role as well. He and his wife Sandy keep busy as baby sitters for their son’s and daughter’s children.
Jim continues to help run the national tournament, although he is no longer involved in scorekeeping. He will welcome you with a smile and a cheerful greeting when you arrive at the registration table. Look for him. |
Down Memory Lane Jim Davis recalls “one of my proudest moments.” With one tournament left in local competition in 1969, one of the elementary schools in the Springdale (PA) District had yet to qualify a team for Nationals. Unfortunately, the final game was Wff’N Proof, which the coach, Carolyn Pugh, knew nothing about.
The players, some of whom eventually played for Jim, were Mario Berasi, Sandy Eckert, Joe Leftwich, Janet Marchek, Cheri Stanisky, and Barbara Takach. |