CSC set to host 60th Scholastic Contest

除了学术成分, activities include a Club and Department Fair, 开放式麦克风, 美洲狮的尸检, 指纹演示, 还有天文馆的节目.

The first scholastic contest in 1961 drew 850 students from 41 schools to take 29 tests. The event was started after Ross Armstrong, 长期的教练和运动主管, visited Kearney State for a track meet while that institution was hosting its scholastic contest. When he saw how many students it had brought to the campus, he discussed it with President Barton Kline, and soon after CSC began to host an Inter-High School Scholastic Contest.

Dr. 尤金·休斯, a CSC math professor who later became the President at Northern Arizona and Wichita State, was the first director of the contest sanctioned by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Some of the tests in the early 1970s included shorthand, 木工, 机械制图, 司机教育, 法国, 西班牙语, 和德国.

In 1978, the contest nearly tripled to 2,368 participants. 那一年, President Ed Nelson presided at an awards ceremony to recognize individual and school winners. The following year, a full-tuition scholarship was offered to any senior who won a contest.

The 1992 contest is thought to be the largest on record. It attracted 2,642 students from 78 schools.

A wide variety of activities have been offered to the guests when they are not busy taking tests. 有一段时间, the 健康 Professions Club had a health fair with blood typing and blood pressure checks. Humvees and horse-drawn wagons from Fort Robinson have given students rides around campus, and other options have included climbing walls, 鼓舞士气的酒吧, 还有一个视频游戏预告片. For years, the Human Genome scavenger hunt was a regular activity for competitors. Hints to 在线 clues were posted on yard signs along the main sidewalk through campus.

Other attractions included a model car race hosted by the Industrial Arts Technology Guild, as well as planetarium shows and a trivia bowl. 几年来, the college hosted a dance on Thursday nights for high schools that traveled long distances.

Dr. 乔伊斯·哈迪, 生物学教授, recalls staying in Work Hall the night before she and her fellow high school students competed in the contest. Years later as the Vice President of Academic Affairs, she sent letters of recognition to the top winners in each exam. 自从回到教室, she has seen two new exams added from her area, one in pre-veterinary science and one in environmental science.

Alum Noelle Strang Baker said she took the test in 1982 and a year later as a CSC student she was hand 分级 the tests.

Technology has been central to the contest since hand-scoring tests ended.

In 1996, results were posted manually to the CSC web page, according to Chief 信息 Officer Ann Burk. Other advancements included automated results posted to the CSC web page in 2002 and delivery of results to high school sponsors in near real-time.

一年后, a web-based registration system for high schools replaced the paper-based process, 节省人员时间和邮资. In 2004, advancements were made so test results could be viewed from any computer with web access. 一年后, a new website was created that allowed 在线 registration, 分级, 以及分数处理. 

To allow students to take part in campus activities, the focus has changed from displaying test results throughout the Student Center. Associate Chief 信息 Officer Joby Collins said, 而不是, results are tallied and campus representatives deliver the results and medals to participating schools. 个人和学校成绩将会 在线 比赛后一周.

Winning or placing in the top three individually or in one of the five school divisions has been a source of pride.

“Our science instructor at the time was a CSC alum and would do her best to sign up as many of us as possible who wanted to participate in categories she thought we’d do well in. 我们会在凌晨3点左右醒来.m. to make the long drive to Chadron in time for the first round of tests. When I was a senior, our high school took first place in our division. While not all of us placed at the top of our tests, we all truly felt part of a winning team that day and were given a heroes’ welcome when we arrived later that night back in Stuart,托尼·瑟布塞克说, a former Chadron resident who attended high school in Stuart, 内布拉斯加州.