Nell Holcomb students earn spot at national Beta Club competition

Amy Krieger always knew she had a bright group emerging through the Nell Holcomb LIFE class for gifted children.

What the teacher didn't know was how competitive they were.

Krieger is in her fourth year of serving as the sponsor to the school's Junior Beta Club but expanded her duties with the addition of fourth- and fifth-graders this year.

It's a group she's been grooming for state competition for a couple of years, and she finally got the opportunity to turn her team of six students loose over two days at the state convention in December at the Black River Coliseum in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

The showing was impressive.

Luke Richey left, Ian Weber, Carson Shearer, Ashton Garagnani, and Cadence Probst with the Junior Beta Club pose for a photo with their robot Wednesday in front of Nell Holcomb School. Not pictured is club member Emma Kerr.Andrew J. Whitaker

They collected five first-place finishes, including team robotics, and qualified all six members in a total of 10 categories for the competition at the national Beta Club convention, to be held June 24 to 28 at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

In addition to the top finishes, four of the students -- Cadence Probst, Luke Richey, Carson Shearer and Ian Weber -- finished first in the written portion of quiz bowl and were one of two teams to square off in the oral final.

It's one of the events for which Krieger has spent a couple of years prepping the students, who meet with her the first hour of every school day, in anticipation of the competition.

Their participation at the state Junior Beta Convention came earlier than previous Nell Holcomb students after Krieger petitioned principal Michael Wortmann and superintendent Darryl Pannier about inclusion of the elementary grades, which ultimately gained approval by the Nell Holcomb School District school board.

"They needed the competition with other students that are their intellectual peers," Krieger said. "In the regular classroom, I guess they're used to being able to be successful very easily, so at the Beta competition, it gave them that extra challenge where there were students already competing at their level and to see if they could keep up with them. It was neat to see that. They were very competitive and very successful."

Krieger learned in early October the elementary grades had been cleared to attend the conference and compete.

All six members were fifth-graders with the exception of Probst, a fourth-grader.

Richey led the way with first-place finishes in social studies and speech.

Shearer placed first in science, while Emma Kerr topped the field in language arts and took second in sketching.

Probst took second in sculpture and charcoal sketching.

"They were very tickled because they didn't know what to expect when they got there, and when they were able to compete and do so well, they were very proud and knew they had really achieved," Krieger said.

The top three individuals qualified for the individual competition at the national conference.

"Our quiz bowl team was so happy when we found out we got first on the written test," Richey said. "We were cheering. It was so exciting. That part was probably my favorite part, and knowing we got first in robotics -- I was really surprised by it."

Probst, Richey, Shearer and Ian Weber made for a well-rounded group in the quiz bowl.

Shearer's favorite subject is science; Probst counts art as one of her areas of excellence; Weber is fond of math and social studies; and Richey, the team captain, likes social studies and history.

Richey also possesses a quick thumb.

"This guy is the button master," Weber said about Richey. "Luke is the master."

Shearer seconded the assessment.

"He's the fastest person in our group at pressing the button," he said.

Weber showed hand skills of his own in operating "Cranium" in the robotics competition.

"Cranium" was the brainchild of Kerr, who drew up an initial sketch of a crane and a name for the group's winning robot. She also handled the billboard presentation at the competition.

All six were involved in "Cranium," including Ashton Garagnani, who lists science and math among his favorite subjects.

While Weber operated "Cranium," Richey did the bulk of the explaining to the judges, which included why it was not performing one of its three mechanical functions.

While it moved forward and backward and swiveled side to side, the crane arm would not go up and down.

That function was lost in the process of converting the three-battery creation to two batteries, the maximum allowed in the competition.

Even the mechanical malfunction allowed the team to impress the judges.

"They knew all about the ins and outs of how we modified it to use only two batteries, and when they could explain that to the judges, the judges were very impressed, and they all took a moment to step aside and say they were impressed with how well they could explain that," Krieger said. "I was proud of them for presenting it that well."

Not only did it turn out to be a winning experience, it was a learning one as well.

"We actually learned how to fix it that day," Weber said.

Krieger, who also teaches reading, said the gifted program allows students with above-average grades, good conduct and service hours to learn material beyond the daily classroom curriculum.

She told a story about Shearer, who has been in the LIFE program since arriving at the school.

"When Carson was in kindergarten, we were playing quiz bowl with some junior-high students that I was working with as a Beta sponsor, and we got to a word that I didn't know and couldn't pronounce, and so he's over here playing on the floor, but he's a kindergärtner, so we're just kind of watching him, and he just started the program," Krieger said. "He came over. He could tell us what the word was, define it for us, tell us where it was found and give us the answer to the question. And the rest of us had no idea what it was. ... He needed that enrichment."

And while the school board originally just granted approval for the elementary grades to attend the state conference, it since has signed off on the national convention, agreeing to help with a portion of the expenses.

"I knew they were a really smart bunch and very capable, but I didn't know they would walk away with that many first places," Krieger said. "I was tickled, too. And the board was also. The board said, 'We can't hold them back at that point. We have to provide the next opportunity for them.'"

The students -- four qualified from sixth through eighth grade -- are in the process of raising funds, already hosting a bake sale and recruiting sponsors, whose names will be printed on the back of T-shirts the students will wear at the conference.

They also will host a trivia night at 6 p.m. Friday in the school's cafeteria. Cost is $10 per person.

Krieger said participants will be assigned to tables if they are unable to organize a team of eight.

The event also will include a silent auction. For more information, call (573) 275-3652 or email akrieger@nellholcomb.k12.mo.us.

jbreer@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3629