GREENEVILLE – Pre-college students demonstrated their command of a wide array of subjects Saturday, Sept. 27, as readers peppered them with questions during the annual quizbowl competition at Tusculum University.
The Tusculum Earlybird, which has become a staple of the fall, returned to campus with 14 high schools, one homeschool cooperative and one Upward Bound program from Tennessee and Virginia. The event brought about 120 students to campus not just to vie for titles and prizes but also to imagine the potential of enrolling at Tusculum for their collegiate studies.
“Organizing and hosting this event brings us joy,” said Dr. Chuck Pearson, assistant dean of math and science at Tusculum, who leads the Tusculum Earlybird every year. “The quality of the competitors is excellent, and it is terrific to watch them showcase their knowledge and envision them growing further academically as a Tusculum student. We are pleased to support these young competitors who have embraced learning and information.”
Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president, greeted the competitors at the start of the day and had a series of questions of his own to ask. They included, “What is the first higher education institution in Tennessee?” “What higher education institution received a financial donation from President George Washington?” “From which local higher education institution did Dr. Scott Niswonger, a prominent local businessman and philanthropist, receive a college degree?” The answer to all of the questions, of course, was Tusculum.
Representatives of Tusculum’s Office of Admission also attended the event to discuss the process of becoming a student at the university and share further information about the institution. They also highlighted opportunities for academically talented student at Tusculum, including participation in the university’s quizbowl team, which includes a $2,000 annual scholarship. The university also has debate and esports teams and is seeking to form a mock trial team, all of which offer that same scholarship.
Dr. John Alpers, assistant professor of business, was present to provide details about Tusculum’s Honors Program, which has admission criteria of at least a 27 ACT and a 3.0 grade point average. It offers a $1,000 honors scholarship and $1,000 honors housing stipend. Dr. Alpers serves as the Honors Program director.
One of the participants in the Tusculum Earlybird, Matthew Lane, is exploring the possibility of coming to Tusculum when he graduates from Gate City High School in Virginia. He said this tournament gave him a chance to look at the Meen Center, where the quizbowl was held, many Tusculum classes are taught and lab work is conducted.
Now in his second year of playing in quizbowls, he likes the camaraderie of this academic pursuit, saying all participants support each other. He said his best skills are in history and geography, but he said he has niches in mathematics and mathematical concepts as well because of subjects he has taken at school. Saturday was a special day for Gate City High School because it was the first tournament of this year’s season.
Students who participated in the Tusculum Earlybird tackled questions about fine arts, history, literature, pop culture, psychology, religion, science and social science.
“We are a broad field academic competition,” Dr. Pearson said. “Most of the players come to this competition because they are taking on the serious academic material. Even the novices at this competition are getting served some pretty healthy academic questions.”
Members of the university’s quizbowl team helped Dr. Pearson run the Tusculum Earlybird. Lindi Blaylock, Caleigh Greene, Cheyenne Hewitt, Malachi Ledford and Anna Lee Simpson, served as readers, scorekeepers and statistics checkers. Tusculum’s quizbowl team will change roles starting next week and compete as players in a collegiate tournament Saturday, Oct. 4, at Tusculum; a tournament three weeks later at the University of North Carolina; and tentatively in November at Virginia Tech.
Others who assisted were Tusculum faculty members and individuals from schools that were part of the competition.
Blaylock, a freshman who is pursuing a history degree with a concentration in museum studies, said she likes quizbowl because she participated in that activity in high school. She said she likes to learn and be correct. She enjoyed being able to assist Saturday and helping ensure everything was proceeding as it should. Quizbowl also appeals to her because she likes working with her teammates and preparing for tournaments.
One of the teams that competed was the Upward Bound program at Tusculum, and one of the players is Lily Burgner, a senior at Chuckey-Doak High School who is also dual enrolled at the university. She will obtain her Associate of Arts in general studies from Tusculum in December. She finds value in quizbowl.
“There have been times where I have talked to someone later and said, “Yes, I answered a scholar bowl question about that,’” Burgner said. “You also have an opportunity to interact with a bunch of people, too, and that is really helpful.”
The winning team at the Tusculum Earlybird in the upper division was Blacksburg High School Team A from Virginia. Second and third place went to Chattanooga Arts and Sciences Team A and Castlewood High School in Virginia, respectively. The title holder in the novice division was Blacksburg High School Team B, followed Blacksburg High School Team C and Auburn High School in Virginia. Blacksburg High School Team C was the junior varsity champion.
Taylor Chen, a middle school student from Cookeville, achieved the top individual score in all divisions. Dr. Pearson said many younger students performed exceptionally during Saturday’s tournament.
“We are already looking forward to the Tusculum Earlybird in 2026,” Dr. Pearson said. “We are also excited about continuing to grow the quizbowl team at Tusculum to enhance the academic experience of our students. Quizbowl enriches personal lives and is an excellent contributor to our preparation of career-ready professionals.”
More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.
