Hispanic Heritage Quiz Bowl a success

by Lillian Lynch
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 – Oct. 15, the Volunteer State Community College Campus Activity Board held a Hispanic Heritage Quiz Bowl.
On Sept. 28 the ceiling of the Mary Nichols Dining Room had decorations hanging from it in preparation for the Bowl. It started at 12:45 p.m. with the host of the Bowl, Michelle Vandiver-Lawrence, Associate Professor of Spanish, introducing herself and asking for four contestants to volunteer.
The Quiz Bowl was made up of six rounds, the last one being the final round. Each round had four contestants, aside from the final one that had the winners of each previous round competing against each other.
The very first question of the bowl asked who the first female Hispanic astronaut was. The answer, Ellen Ochoa, was on the same screen as the question and the contestants had to be turned away from the screen so that they would not cheat.
The rest of the round consisted of questions of dance, the Day of the Dead and Hispanic culture.
The questions were on geography, the dance of the Salsa and holidays such as Cinco de Mayo and the Running of the Bulls.
The third round consisted of four more contestants lined in the same chairs faced away from the screen. Some of their questions asked how most people travel in Spain (on foot), what the Volkswagen Beetle was and is still used for in Mexico (taxis) and where El Rastro, a large flea market, is located (Madrid). Other questions had to do with geography, punctuation, and famous Latinos.
For round four another group of four contestants volunteered. Just three questions in, before Vandiver-Lawrence could utter the words “Hips Don’t Lie,” each contestant’s hand was up. The answer was Shakira.
There was another question of dance, this time Tango, and other questions asked about flag colors and when Mexican Independence Day was (Sept. 16, 1810).
The fifth round began with a question on the Spanish language. Other questions were asked about culture, where the term Hispanic came from (the United States Census Bureau created it for the census), national flowers and how many Spanish-speaking countries there are today (20).
In the final round each winner of the five previous rounds took a seat to compete for the grand prize: a Vol State pull-string bag and a Vol State hoodie.
Their questions were cultural for the most part.
They were asked about the Festival Internacional de Poesia (the International Poetry Festival held in Medellin, Puerto Rico), whether or not Puerto Ricans are U.S. Citizens (they are) and what the first Latin production was to hit broadway (“West Side Story”).
The overall winner of the Bowl was student Brittany Jackson.
“I didn’t even prepare for this, I just new that my class was coming to it,” said Jackson.
Even without preparing, it is possible to win a Quiz Bowl.