MISSOULA – A dozen of the strongest academic high schools around the state gathered in Missoula for the Montana Academic State Championship on Tuesday.
The Quiz Bowl style round-by-round competition, which took place at the University of Montana, pitted each school against each other until a winner is reached.
The teams were chosen based on results in a number of regional tournaments this year. The top four individuals who compete in an individual competition receive scholarships for the first time in the seven years that the event has been held.
Billings Skyview sophomore Zach Mangels, who won the first place scholarship, says teamwork is key with each of the six student representatives having a key role,
"We all on our team have knowledge of various topics like I think I’m stronger in history, and we have other people who are stronger in math and science," Mangels said.
The questions covered high school subjects, as well as pop culture and recent news.
Among the 12 competing schools, are Billings Skyview who won the championship in 2015 and 2016 and Sentinel High School, which took first place last year.
Schools from Frenchtown, Columbia Falls, Lewistown, Cut Bank, Townsend, Belgrade, Manhattan and Billings Senior also participated in the competition.
