Each Wednesday, Mark Toti interviews a Fredericktown School District employee about an education topic. This morning, I was in the hot seat to talk about the Middle School Academic Team. I was a little nervous because it was a live interview, so if I messed up, there was no way to go back and fix it before broadcast. But it was actually a lot better than I expected. Like most interviews, it turned into a very casual conversation and most of the thoughts flowed very well - until he asked me for a sample question, and I wasn't prepared. I recovered, but it was a little awkward not being prepared for that.

Here's a summary of what I shared with Mark about the team.

This is my fifth year coaching the team. Each year, I've been assisted by Jane Stephenson, and I don't know that I could have done it without her. I really appreciate her willingness to help out. Every year, we have a team that represents our school well. I have been very proud of all of them. Two years ago, we placed 3rd at the conference tournament.

This year, we have thirteen team members (grades 7 & 8) and two managers (sixth graders). We compete against other schools on Tuesdays and Thursdays in February.

Matches consist of four rounds lasting fifteen minutes or fifty questions. The questions are about topics such as math, science, literature, grammar, history, geography, and current events.

This year, we have three returning members; the other ten are new. Even with the lack of experience, I think this will be a great season for our team. We started practicing in November, and we'll have eighteen practices in before our first match. This team has worked very well together, and I think that they definitely know the meaning of teamwork.

I think the best thing that involvement with Academic Team can offer a Middle School student is a sense of belonging and community. They learn that each of them is just as important as the other. When one of them gets discouraged because he or she hasn't answered any questions, my assistant coach tells the story of cookie baking. When you make cookies, you only use a pinch of salt, but that little bit of salt is just as important as all the flour, sugar, eggs, and other ingredients that seem more important. When a match is close (and they are sometimes won or lost by one or two points), the contribution of the teammate who answered one question is just as important as the one who answered ten.

We start the season January 30 when we host Farmington at 4:00 in the Middle School cafeteria. Parents and other spectators are welcome!