Quien Sabe Mas! 
Saturday March 9th was a great day at Spring Lake Middle School!
We had the distinct pleasure of hosting the Spanish Quiz Bowl for all middle schools in Cumberland County! This was a first for me! This was a cultural celebration as well as an academic competition. This event was organized by county level personnel but we enthusiastically agreed to serve as the host site. All middle schools from around the district are asked to form teams and begin training students for the Quiz Bowl. During the competition, students are asked trivia questions in Spanish and have to respond in Spanish. Teams from different schools are invited participate in contests all morning. This is a big, spectacular event that everyone involved got something out of.
Below are pictures from some of the displays schools set up at the entrance way of the school:
The size of the event, the number of participants and teams was awe inspiring! With teams ranging from 5 – 10 students, we had 12 schools in participation along with coaches parents and school system employees. The following pictures are of our culminating event in the afternoon and the large group lunch.
The afternoon event included musical performances from county personnel and students. A guest speaker from Fayetteville State University, a lecturer from the World Languages Department, gave a great speech on the value of learning a second language. Students who learn second languages do better in school, better on standardized tests, have a higher graduation rate than students who don’t learn a second language and have a higher probability of gainful employment. Great speech to a great group!
The winner of the day’s competition was the team from Mac Williams Middle School. The team had a great showing. I took a picture with the principal from MWMS [picture below], Steve Morris @smor1955. Steve spoke highly of his team’s coach and described him as a motivator and great educator.
I’m extremely proud of our team! Last year the Broncos didn’t do very well in the competition. This year with new coaches and a new focus they finished 2nd in our division. Our kids were nervous and anxious and did not disappoint! They did us proud.
Its events like this that keep us in education!
One word for this day – awesome!!
Derek L. McCoy 
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