Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence
Encyclopedia
The Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence (PACE) is a nonprofit organization which runs the National Scholastics Championship (NSC), an end-of-year championship for North American high school quizbowl
teams. The NSC has been run in June of each year since 1998.
In addition to running the tournament, PACE awards the Benjamin Cooper Academic Ambassador Award each year at the opening ceremony of the NSC. The award is chosen by PACE members to honor "a high school academic competition team member, advisor, or organization whose character best promotes the spirit and honor of quiz bowl competition." It is named for Ben Cooper, who, as the captain of the It's Academic
quizbowl
team at Georgetown Day School
, worked with the PACE founders to provide a player's perspective on the plans for the inaugural NSC. Ben Cooper died in an automobile accident just before the start of his senior year. In 2004, PACE expanded its recognition program to include a "Young Ambassador" Award to recognize individuals from high school or college quizbowl programs (or alumni) for "valuable and significant contributions to the high school academic competition community". These awards are essentially the only national awards given in recognition of contributions to high school quizbowl.
Beyond running the NSC, PACE offers advice and staff assistance to high schools and colleges who run high school quizbowl
tournaments. PACE does not supply questions for regular season tournaments or offer a collegiate competition program.
! Date !! Location !! Champion !! Runner-Up !! Cooper Award !! Young Ambassador Award
|-
| June 19-20, 1998 || Case Western Reserve University
|| State College Area High School
of State College, PA || Henry Ford II High School of Sterling Heights, MI || Sue Ikenberry, coach at Georgetown Day School
in Washington, DC, on behalf of Ben Cooper
|-
| June 19-20, 1999 || University of Pennsylvania
|| State College Area High School
of State College, PA (2) || Rockville High School of Rockville, MD || Joe Hermiller, coach at E.L. Bowsher High School in Toledo, OH
|-
| June 3-4, 2000 || Furman University
|| State College Area High School
of State College, PA (3) || Eisenhower High School of Shelby Township, MI
|| Rick Barry, James Garrick, and Hodges Lewis, operators of Academic Competition Enterprises
|-
| June 16-17, 2001 || Bowling Green State University
|| State College Area High School
of State College, PA (4) || Georgetown Day School
of Washington, DC || Robert C. Grierson, editor of Scholastic Visions, the newsletter of the Illinois High School Scholastic Bowl Coaches Association
|-
| June 15-16, 2002 || The George Washington University || Richard Montgomery High School
of Rockville, MD|| Catholic Central High School of Redford, MI|| Douglas Tyson, coach at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School of Washington, DC, and Sue Altman, producer of It's Academic
, on behalf of the entire It's Academic
program
|-
| June 14-15, 2003 || Case Western Reserve University
|| Paul M. Dorman High School
of Roebuck, SC || Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
of Alexandria, VA || Carolyn Hawkins, coach at Cookeville High School of Cookeville, TN
|-
| June 12-13, 2004 || University of Maryland
|| Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies
of Richmond, VA || Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
of Alexandria, VA || Paul Cain, coach at Ysleta High School of El Paso, TX || Matt Weiner, Virginia Commonwealth University
and David Bykowski, formerly of Furman University
& University of Michigan
|-
| June 11-12, 2005 || Valencia Community College
|| Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
of Alexandria, VA || State College Area High School
of State College, PA || Sue Korosa, coach at Copley High School of Copley, Ohio || Thomas Egan, coach at Maine South High School
, formerly of the University of Illinois
|-
| June 17-18, 2006 || North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
|| Raleigh Charter High School
of Raleigh, NC
|| Richard Montgomery High School
of Rockville, MD
|| Bob Weiser, coach at Solon High School
, Ohio and Dr. John Barnes, coach at Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies
in Richmond, VA || Eric Grunden, coach at Raleigh Charter High School
, Raleigh, North Carolina
|-
| June 9-10, 2007 || University of Michigan
|| Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies
of Richmond, VA (2) || Martin Luther King Magnet at Pearl High School
of Nashville, TN ||Julie Gittings, coach at State College Area High School
in State College, PA || Evan Silberman, It's Academic
co-captain at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
in Alexandria, VA
|-
| May 31 - June 1, 2008 || George Mason University
|| Walt Whitman High School
of Bethesda, MD || Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
of Alexandria, VA || Award revoked on 2-25-09. || Lee Henry, coach at Brindlee Mountain High School in Alabama and Chris Sewell
|-
| May 23-24, 2009 || George Mason University
|| Charter School of Wilmington
of Wilmington, DE || State College Area High School
of State College, PA || Eric Huff, coach for Paul M. Dorman High School
in Roebuck, SC || Christian Carter, player from Minneapolis South High School
& webmaster of quizbowlpackets.com
|-
|June 5-6, 2010 || George Mason University
|| State College Area High School
of State College, PA (5) || Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies
of Richmond, VA || R. Robert Hentzel, President of National Academic Quiz Tournaments
|| Sarah Angelo, player and tournament director at Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies
in Richmond, VA
|-
|June 4-5, 2011|| Northwestern University
|| State College Area High School
of State College, PA (6) || Hunter College High School
of New York, New York || Matt Weiner, Virginia Commonwealth University
|| Charlie Dees, Jeffrey Hill, Paul Nelson, and Christine Whelehon, on behalf of the Missouri Quizbowl Alliance ||
Quizbowl
Quiz bowl is a family of games of questions and answers on all topics of human knowledge that is commonly played by students enrolled in high school or college, although some participants begin in middle or even elementary school...
teams. The NSC has been run in June of each year since 1998.
In addition to running the tournament, PACE awards the Benjamin Cooper Academic Ambassador Award each year at the opening ceremony of the NSC. The award is chosen by PACE members to honor "a high school academic competition team member, advisor, or organization whose character best promotes the spirit and honor of quiz bowl competition." It is named for Ben Cooper, who, as the captain of the It's Academic
It's Academic
It's Academic is a televised academic quiz competition for high school students, currently airing on two NBC affiliates in Washington, D.C. and Central Virginia and one CBS affiliate Baltimore, Maryland . The show has been on the air since October 7, 1961, making it the longest...
quizbowl
Quizbowl
Quiz bowl is a family of games of questions and answers on all topics of human knowledge that is commonly played by students enrolled in high school or college, although some participants begin in middle or even elementary school...
team at Georgetown Day School
Georgetown Day School
Georgetown Day School is a pre-K-12 private preparatory school in Washington, D.C..-History:GDS was founded in 1945 as the first integrated school in the District of Columbia.-Academics:...
, worked with the PACE founders to provide a player's perspective on the plans for the inaugural NSC. Ben Cooper died in an automobile accident just before the start of his senior year. In 2004, PACE expanded its recognition program to include a "Young Ambassador" Award to recognize individuals from high school or college quizbowl programs (or alumni) for "valuable and significant contributions to the high school academic competition community". These awards are essentially the only national awards given in recognition of contributions to high school quizbowl.
Beyond running the NSC, PACE offers advice and staff assistance to high schools and colleges who run high school quizbowl
Quizbowl
Quiz bowl is a family of games of questions and answers on all topics of human knowledge that is commonly played by students enrolled in high school or college, although some participants begin in middle or even elementary school...
tournaments. PACE does not supply questions for regular season tournaments or offer a collegiate competition program.
Summary history of the NSC
{| class=wikitable! Date !! Location !! Champion !! Runner-Up !! Cooper Award !! Young Ambassador Award
|-
| June 19-20, 1998 || Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
|| State College Area High School
State College Area High School
State College Area High School is the only public high school in the State College Area School District. Located within walking distance of Penn State University, the school offers a wide and diverse selection of electives, and is known for its academic, athletic, and musical prominence.State High...
of State College, PA || Henry Ford II High School of Sterling Heights, MI || Sue Ikenberry, coach at Georgetown Day School
Georgetown Day School
Georgetown Day School is a pre-K-12 private preparatory school in Washington, D.C..-History:GDS was founded in 1945 as the first integrated school in the District of Columbia.-Academics:...
in Washington, DC, on behalf of Ben Cooper
|-
| June 19-20, 1999 || University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
|| State College Area High School
State College Area High School
State College Area High School is the only public high school in the State College Area School District. Located within walking distance of Penn State University, the school offers a wide and diverse selection of electives, and is known for its academic, athletic, and musical prominence.State High...
of State College, PA (2) || Rockville High School of Rockville, MD || Joe Hermiller, coach at E.L. Bowsher High School in Toledo, OH
|-
| June 3-4, 2000 || Furman University
Furman University
Furman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...
|| State College Area High School
State College Area High School
State College Area High School is the only public high school in the State College Area School District. Located within walking distance of Penn State University, the school offers a wide and diverse selection of electives, and is known for its academic, athletic, and musical prominence.State High...
of State College, PA (3) || Eisenhower High School of Shelby Township, MI
Shelby Charter Township, Michigan
-Demographics:The U.S. Census Bureau has also defined Shelby Township as a census-designated place in the 2000 Census so that the community would appear on the list of places as well on the list of county subdivisions...
|| Rick Barry, James Garrick, and Hodges Lewis, operators of Academic Competition Enterprises
|-
| June 16-17, 2001 || Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State...
|| State College Area High School
State College Area High School
State College Area High School is the only public high school in the State College Area School District. Located within walking distance of Penn State University, the school offers a wide and diverse selection of electives, and is known for its academic, athletic, and musical prominence.State High...
of State College, PA (4) || Georgetown Day School
Georgetown Day School
Georgetown Day School is a pre-K-12 private preparatory school in Washington, D.C..-History:GDS was founded in 1945 as the first integrated school in the District of Columbia.-Academics:...
of Washington, DC || Robert C. Grierson, editor of Scholastic Visions, the newsletter of the Illinois High School Scholastic Bowl Coaches Association
|-
| June 15-16, 2002 || The George Washington University || Richard Montgomery High School
Richard Montgomery High School
Richard Montgomery High School is a secondary public school located in Rockville, Maryland.Richard Montgomery High School is named for Richard Montgomery, an American General who died while attempting to capture the British-held city of Quebec...
of Rockville, MD|| Catholic Central High School of Redford, MI|| Douglas Tyson, coach at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School of Washington, DC, and Sue Altman, producer of It's Academic
It's Academic
It's Academic is a televised academic quiz competition for high school students, currently airing on two NBC affiliates in Washington, D.C. and Central Virginia and one CBS affiliate Baltimore, Maryland . The show has been on the air since October 7, 1961, making it the longest...
, on behalf of the entire It's Academic
It's Academic
It's Academic is a televised academic quiz competition for high school students, currently airing on two NBC affiliates in Washington, D.C. and Central Virginia and one CBS affiliate Baltimore, Maryland . The show has been on the air since October 7, 1961, making it the longest...
program
|-
| June 14-15, 2003 || Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
|| Paul M. Dorman High School
Paul M. Dorman High School
Paul M. Dorman High School is a high school located in Roebuck, South Carolina. The school is part of Spartanburg County School District Six. It consists of a main campus for 10th-12th graders and a separate campus for 9th graders. The campus is located at the intersection of Interstate 26 and...
of Roebuck, SC || Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a Virginia state-chartered magnet school located within Fairfax County, Virginia, United States...
of Alexandria, VA || Carolyn Hawkins, coach at Cookeville High School of Cookeville, TN
|-
| June 12-13, 2004 || University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
|| Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies
Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies
The Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies is a public regional magnet high school in Richmond, Virginia....
of Richmond, VA || Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a Virginia state-chartered magnet school located within Fairfax County, Virginia, United States...
of Alexandria, VA || Paul Cain, coach at Ysleta High School of El Paso, TX || Matt Weiner, Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
and David Bykowski, formerly of Furman University
Furman University
Furman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...
& University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
|-
| June 11-12, 2005 || Valencia Community College
Valencia Community College
Valencia College, formerly known as Valencia Community College, is a public state college in Orlando, Florida, United States. Valencia is the third-largest member institution of the Florida College System....
|| Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a Virginia state-chartered magnet school located within Fairfax County, Virginia, United States...
of Alexandria, VA || State College Area High School
State College Area High School
State College Area High School is the only public high school in the State College Area School District. Located within walking distance of Penn State University, the school offers a wide and diverse selection of electives, and is known for its academic, athletic, and musical prominence.State High...
of State College, PA || Sue Korosa, coach at Copley High School of Copley, Ohio || Thomas Egan, coach at Maine South High School
Maine South High School
Maine South High School, or MSHS, is a public four-year high school located in Park Ridge, Illinois, a north-west suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Maine Township High School District 207, which also includes Maine East High School and Maine West High School.Maine...
, formerly of the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
|-
| June 17-18, 2006 || North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is a two-year, public residential high school located in Durham, North Carolina, that focuses on the intensive study of science, mathematics and technology. The school accepts rising juniors from across North Carolina and enrolls them through...
|| Raleigh Charter High School
Raleigh Charter High School
Raleigh Charter High School is a free, independent public school chartered by the North Carolina State Board of Education.-History:In the summer of 1998, some parents of 8th graders at The Magellan Charter School decided to establish a new charter high school so that their students could continue...
of Raleigh, NC
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
|| Richard Montgomery High School
Richard Montgomery High School
Richard Montgomery High School is a secondary public school located in Rockville, Maryland.Richard Montgomery High School is named for Richard Montgomery, an American General who died while attempting to capture the British-held city of Quebec...
of Rockville, MD
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
|| Bob Weiser, coach at Solon High School
Solon High School
Solon High School, founded in 1898, is a public high school located in Solon, Ohio, a southeastern suburb of Cleveland in the Northeast Ohio Region, the 14th largest Combined Statistical Area in the United States....
, Ohio and Dr. John Barnes, coach at Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies
Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies
The Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies is a public regional magnet high school in Richmond, Virginia....
in Richmond, VA || Eric Grunden, coach at Raleigh Charter High School
Raleigh Charter High School
Raleigh Charter High School is a free, independent public school chartered by the North Carolina State Board of Education.-History:In the summer of 1998, some parents of 8th graders at The Magellan Charter School decided to establish a new charter high school so that their students could continue...
, Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
|-
| June 9-10, 2007 || University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
|| Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies
Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies
The Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies is a public regional magnet high school in Richmond, Virginia....
of Richmond, VA (2) || Martin Luther King Magnet at Pearl High School
Martin Luther King Magnet at Pearl High School
Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet for Health Sciences and Engineering at Pearl High School is a public high school located in Nashville, Tennessee....
of Nashville, TN ||Julie Gittings, coach at State College Area High School
State College Area High School
State College Area High School is the only public high school in the State College Area School District. Located within walking distance of Penn State University, the school offers a wide and diverse selection of electives, and is known for its academic, athletic, and musical prominence.State High...
in State College, PA || Evan Silberman, It's Academic
It's Academic
It's Academic is a televised academic quiz competition for high school students, currently airing on two NBC affiliates in Washington, D.C. and Central Virginia and one CBS affiliate Baltimore, Maryland . The show has been on the air since October 7, 1961, making it the longest...
co-captain at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a Virginia state-chartered magnet school located within Fairfax County, Virginia, United States...
in Alexandria, VA
|-
| May 31 - June 1, 2008 || George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
|| Walt Whitman High School
Walt Whitman High School
Walt Whitman High School is a public secondary institution serving roughly the western part of Bethesda--an unincorporated suburban area of Washington, DC, in Montgomery County, Maryland. The school is named in honor of the American poet. It is fed into by Thomas W. Pyle Middle School.-History:The...
of Bethesda, MD || Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a Virginia state-chartered magnet school located within Fairfax County, Virginia, United States...
of Alexandria, VA || Award revoked on 2-25-09. || Lee Henry, coach at Brindlee Mountain High School in Alabama and Chris Sewell
|-
| May 23-24, 2009 || George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
|| Charter School of Wilmington
Charter School of Wilmington
The Charter School of Wilmington is a high school in Wilmington, Delaware, one of the first public/private charter schools in the United States, opening in 1996. It occupies the third floor and a wing of the second floor of the former Wilmington High School building...
of Wilmington, DE || State College Area High School
State College Area High School
State College Area High School is the only public high school in the State College Area School District. Located within walking distance of Penn State University, the school offers a wide and diverse selection of electives, and is known for its academic, athletic, and musical prominence.State High...
of State College, PA || Eric Huff, coach for Paul M. Dorman High School
Paul M. Dorman High School
Paul M. Dorman High School is a high school located in Roebuck, South Carolina. The school is part of Spartanburg County School District Six. It consists of a main campus for 10th-12th graders and a separate campus for 9th graders. The campus is located at the intersection of Interstate 26 and...
in Roebuck, SC || Christian Carter, player from Minneapolis South High School
Minneapolis South High School
South Senior High School is the largest public school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, located in Corcoran neighborhood. Its student population is 1963, with a staff of 115 as of the 2009–10 school year...
& webmaster of quizbowlpackets.com
|-
|June 5-6, 2010 || George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
|| State College Area High School
State College Area High School
State College Area High School is the only public high school in the State College Area School District. Located within walking distance of Penn State University, the school offers a wide and diverse selection of electives, and is known for its academic, athletic, and musical prominence.State High...
of State College, PA (5) || Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies
Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies
The Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies is a public regional magnet high school in Richmond, Virginia....
of Richmond, VA || R. Robert Hentzel, President of National Academic Quiz Tournaments
National Academic Quiz Tournaments
National Academic Quiz Tournaments, LLC is a question-writing and quizbowl organizing company founded by former players in 1996. It is unique among U.S. quiz organizations for supplying questions and hosting championships at the middle school, high school, and college levels.The format is a set...
|| Sarah Angelo, player and tournament director at Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies
Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies
The Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies is a public regional magnet high school in Richmond, Virginia....
in Richmond, VA
|-
|June 4-5, 2011|| Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
|| State College Area High School
State College Area High School
State College Area High School is the only public high school in the State College Area School District. Located within walking distance of Penn State University, the school offers a wide and diverse selection of electives, and is known for its academic, athletic, and musical prominence.State High...
of State College, PA (6) || Hunter College High School
Hunter College High School
Hunter College High School is a New York City secondary school for intellectually gifted students located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. It is administered by Hunter College, a senior college of the City University of New York. Although it is not operated by the New York City Department of...
of New York, New York || Matt Weiner, Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
|| Charlie Dees, Jeffrey Hill, Paul Nelson, and Christine Whelehon, on behalf of the Missouri Quizbowl Alliance ||