The Carroll County Middle School Academic and Future Problem Solver teams achieved a distinction that hasn’t been met in nearly a decade.
Both won their district competition and will compete at regionals this month. The academic team is led by Sheila Underwood and her son, Levi, leads the future problem solver (FPS) team. The coaches have worked for weeks with their teams and competed throughout the region.
Logan Deitz, an eighth-grade member of the academic team, believes their preparation has been strong. “We’ve been working hard for regionals, going over the questions we missed at districts,” he said.
FPS is a lot different than the academic team, explained Johnathan Pirtle. FPS focuses more on writing short essays about a topic rather than answering specific questions about a subject, as they do on the academic team. Pirtle has some experience with academic competitions as he was the sole CCMS student to make it to the state competition last year.
“You have to cram, study and memorize for FPS,” said Alexander Saben Wainscott, a self-described history enthusiast.
Coach Levi Underwood noted that FPS has been inactive in the district for several years, making this group’s success even more impressive. “We’re so very proud of their accomplishments,” he said. “They have been practicing very hard.” The last time the FPS team went to state was approximately 20 years ago, he said.
Carroll County Schools Superintendent Casey Jaynes joined the coaches in offering congratulations to the CCMS academic teams on their success at district competition. “These are great opportunities for our students and sponsors to demonstrate what it means to be #cctop10 district,” he added.
On the academic team, confidence is growing. Lilly Freeman credited her instincts for helping her in quick recall. “I knew some, and I didn’t know others, but I trusted my gut—and it worked out,” she said with a smile.
Seventh grader Hailey Pirtle said she has confidence in her team. “I’m pretty sure we will do well at regionals, but I don’t want to jinx that. I really hope we go to state,” she said.
Academic team coach Sheila Underwood attributed their success to students coming to practice every week ready to learn and work hard. “They have really worked together. They are a great group who give everyone a chance,” she said.
The FPS and composition regionals are on February 10 while the remainder compete on February 15 in Grant County.