Academic Competitions
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Spelling Bee
MSD hosts an annual Spelling Bee for elementary students from first through fifth grade. The participating students are given 100 words and definitions that are directly from The Scripps National Spelling Bee, along with ASL videos demonstrating the spelling and definition of each word. The top three spellers will then compete against top spellers from the California School for the Deaf-Fremont, Kendall Demonstration Elementary School, New Mexico School for the Deaf, Rocky Mountain Deaf School, and Texas School for the Deaf. Gallaudet University’s Youth Programs facilitates the competition among national finalists via video conference to determine the national spelling bee champion.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Battle of the Books
MSD-Frederick Campus has three middle school teams set to compete in the annual Battle of the Books competition sponsored by Gallaudet University. The competition has three divisions, and each division consists of students who read at the 3rd/4th grade levels, 5th/6th grade levels, and the 7th and above levels. Teams prepare for competitive matches with other schools/programs for the deaf across the nation by independently reading an assigned list of selected books for the competition and are tested on their ability to answer multiple choice and short answer questions; the final round of the playoff match includes presentation-style questions.
Math Team
MSD-Frederick Campus sponsors a Math Team, an academic extracurricular activity for middle school students. The Math Team is a competitive team that participates in Math competitions throughout the year, which includes MATHALON, a statewide competition; MathCounts, a local competition with the opportunity to advance nationally; and RIT/NTID’s annual Math Competition for deaf and hard of hearing students. Students are tested on a wide variety of extensive math skills and knowledge, as they compete on math problems individually and with their school team.
HIGH SCHOOL
Academic Bowl
MSD sponsors an Academic Bowl, an academic extracurricular activity for high school students, which is affiliated with Gallaudet University’s annual Academic Bowl competition. The Academic Bowl team prepares for head-to-head quiz bowl format competitions at regional and national tournaments with other schools/programs for the deaf across the nation; Students are tested on their knowledge of high school curriculum – math, science, geography, history and literature – and other topic such as art, current events, deaf history, mythology, sports, and trivia.