National Academic League

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The National Academic League is a quizbowl competition run by Terrel H. Bell & Associates, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.

History

The NAL was created by Donna Elmquist, Ph.D. and Terrel Howard Bell. Bell was the former Secretary of Education under the Reagan administration. Its creation was partially inspired by the National Academic Super Bowl.

Format

Gameplay mostly involves terrible one-clue questions and quirks that attempt to emulate basketball, such as "tip offs", "shot clocks", and "possessions."

Sample Questions

1. Calculate the GPA of a student who made a "C" in Trigonometry, a "B" in American History, an "A" in Botany, and a "B" in Microbiology if some courses contribute more towards an overall GPA than other courses. For example, a science class is worth 4 points; mathematics is worth 3 points; History is worth 2 points; and English is worth 3 points. The values of the grade letters are as follows, A= 4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0. Answer: 3.08

2. Identify the country where you would find an ancient Easter tradition called "Smingus-Dyngus" -- a custom of people pouring or splashing water on each other Answer: Poland

3. Identify the title of the Shakespearean play that has the line "A horse! A horse ! My kingdom for a horse." Answer: King Richard the Third

4. Name the planet has a diameter of 4,200 miles and orbits our sun every 687 days. Answer: Mars

5. Explain the name "Pesach" and then describe this important Jewish Holiday.
Answer: The name "Pesach" (PAY-sahch, with a "ch" as in the Scottish "loch") comes from the Hebrew root Pei-Samekh-Cheit , meaning to pass through, to pass over, to exempt or to spare. It refers to the fact that God "passed over" the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt. In English, the holiday is known as Passover. "Pesach" is also the name of the sacrificial offering (a lamb) that was made in the Temple on this holiday. The holiday is also referred to as Chag he-Aviv , (the Spring Festival), Chag ha-Matzot , (the Festival of Matzahs), and Z'man Cheiruteinu , (the Time of Our Freedom) (again, all with those Scottish "ch"s).

Participating school districts

Regular season play seems to be organized around school districts. Most participating leagues are in noted bad quizbowl hotbeds like Kansas, Colorado, and Pennsylvania. According to the NAL website the following school districts organized NAL events:

  • Mesa Unified School District (AZ)
  • Pueblo City Schools (CO)
  • Wichita Public Schools (KS)
  • Baltimore City Public Schools (MD)
  • Kansas City School District (MO)
  • Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (NC)
  • Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools (NC)
  • Pittsburgh Area Schools (PA)
  • School District of Philadelphia (PA)
  • Pasadena Independent School District (TX)
  • Davis School District (UT)
  • Granite School District (UT)
  • Weber County School District (UT)
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