While keeping Sabbath, Oakwood team again wins academic competition
A group of Seventh-day Adventist college students discovered that Sabbath keeping and academic achievement are compatible after winning a national quiz tournament last month.
While college basketball teams were competing for March Madness bragging rights, other students were competing off court. For the second year in a row Adventist-run Oakwood University emerged as the National Champions of the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge, winning $50,000 in grant money for the school.
The team from Huntsville, Alabama, beat teams from 64 other Historically Black Colleges and Universities during the March 26-30 competition in Orlando, Florida.
Participating students demonstrated their knowledge in world history, science, literature, religion, the arts, social sciences, popular culture, and African-American history and culture.
The final question that secured Oakwood's victory read:
The tiny kingdom of Bhutan is the first nation to release these items made of steel, of 3D holograms, and, in 2008, of tiny CD-ROM's. For 10 points -- what are these small objects of interest to philatelists?
(Correct answer: Stamps)
The Oakwood University team beat second place finisher North Carolina Central University to claim the championship and take home grant money for its school. Oakwood's Huntsville, Alabama, neighbors, Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical University, were eliminated after two rounds of competition.
"The Honda Campus All-Star Challenge gives us the opportunity to come out, represent our school and compete with an amazing group of people," said Oakwood University team captain Alesis Turner. "Competition was tough, but once again we had a great team and I walk a little taller from having had the opportunity to play with them again."
Turner captained the 2008 team that also won the championship. In both years, HCASC officials allowed Oakwood to complete its rounds outside of the hours of the Sabbath. The team included: Turner, a senior majoring in electrical engineering; Marcus Cooper, sophomore, history; Meaghan Hicks, junior, international studies; Jason Primus, junior, biology; Alexander Brown, junior, political science; and coach R. Rennae Elliott.