Dougherty County School System hosts third Black History Bowl

ALBANY – Students from the Dougherty County School System demonstrated their knowledge of black history on Thursday, answering questions on topics including literature, music, sports, the Olympics and more.

The friendly competition pitted teams of five from the system’s middle and high schools during the Carter J. Woodson Black History Bowl. The school system’s third annual competition was held at Monroe High School’s auditorium.

Some of the names that came up during middle school competition included gridiron great Jim Brown, Olympic phenomenon Dominique Dawes, Michael Jackson, Tyra Banks and Aretha Franklin.

The middle-schoolers were tripped up by a question asking who is “the Godfather of Soul.” The elusive answer: Georgia native James Brown.

Coming out on top in the competition were Robert Cross Middle School and Westover High School.

For third-year participant Stephen Milner Jr., the bowl is an opportunity to work with fellow team members.

“I like how we’re all learning and competing against each other,” the Monroe senior said. “We also get to learn about our black history.”

Team coach David Wilschetz hands out sets of quiz cards, with each student getting 20 flash cards from which they learn the information and pass it along to fellow team members. Milner said.

“His strategy is if we spread out the knowledge everybody gets it,” he added. “Coach Wilschetz also pushes us to do what we can. I like the competition because we also get to just learn about our heritage.”

The competition is named in honor of Woodson, who initiated Negro History Week in 1026 to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

The week was later expanded and became Black History Month.