Timberlake Academic Teams have been hard at work all year preparing for team success. New to the elementary this year was the 5/6th Team. The coaches of this team were Tricia Dayton and Jessi Burkes. At the JH/HS school, Coach Rhonda Sanders has been busy coaching the HS Team, 7-9th Grade Team, and the 8/9th Team. Below are remarks from the coaches about their teams this year.
Mrs. Dayton:
“5/6th Academic Team was new this year. We started with offering this to all the students in Gifted and Talented. Most of those students decided they wanted to give it a try and they have soared. They came to practice each week excited and ready to compete, learn and answer questions. We traveled to Medford for a scrimmage against Medford and Kremlin-Hillsdale so we could experience what a real game would be like. We competed in Districts at Kremlin-Hillsdale where our 6th grade team came in 3rd and our 5th grade team came in 4th. We also competed in Regionals at Medford where the 6th grade team made it to round 5 out of 8 and the 5th grade team made it to round 4 out of 8. Jessi Burkes and I were the coaches and we are so proud of the students for trying something new and always being eager to practice. We were also so amazed at all the knowledge these kids have. Next year we are hoping to grow the academic team and open it up to more students.”
Mrs. Sanders:
“The HS Team has worked very hard to further their knowledge for these events. Coming together as a team for practice was a challenge due to other activities. We were still able to meet at least twice a week or more for practice.The High School team competed in the OK NW Conference. The team received second place in the Conference. Jude Vassar will receive an award at the banquet on February 24th.They also competed in the OSSAA Academic Bowl. They received 1st at Districts, Runner Up at Regionals and 4th in Area. The team received 2nd in the Cherokee Strip Conference Tournament, and Jude Vassar received the ALL STAR award for this tournament. This is a great team. They are full of dedication and determination. We will miss our seniors Taylor Powell and Kaidy Watkins very much next year. They have been great leaders and examples to their fellow team mates.
The 7th-9th grade Academic members started their season in January. They have been working very hard in practice since August to make this a successful season.
The 8th and 9th grade team is part of the Oklahoma Junior Academic Bowl. They competed in districts and will be at the Regional tournament February 28th.The 7th and 8th grade team is competing in the OK NW Academic Association. They will compete in 4 triads during January-April. The team also competes in the Oklahoma Junior Academic Bowl Association (OJABA). They received 2nd at districts and Runner up at Regionals. They will continue on to the State Tournament in April.
The students on these teams represent Timberlake in a very positive manner. If I had to change anything, I would try to find other ways to gain knowledge to make us successful.”
Congratulations to all of our teams on their success, and to those still competing we wish you good luck!