Sherrard Middle School History Bowl Teams Take Top Spots in State Competition
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Students at Sherrard Middle School just keep winning, seeing success at the top level of the West Virginia History Bowl earlier this month, representing both the 2020 and 2021 competitions.
On May 10, the team of Alexis "A.C." Cumberledge, Grace Gatts, Payton Hill and Lilly Roman defeated the Peterstown Middle School Pirates to win the 2020 WV History Bowl at the 11th annual state competition. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 competition was placed on hold for more than a year, following the Sherrard team's victory at Independence Hall in February 2020.
The now-ninth grade students kept studying and returned to win earlier this month. Cumberledge and Gatts were named to the WV History Bowl All-Tournament Team, with Gatts being named MVP for the tournament.
The following day, the current eighth-grade team of Tori Finley, Sydney Gray, Cameron McCord and Ella Naome took second place at the 2021 tournament. Finley earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
Both teams competed at the Culture Center at the Capitol Complex in Charleston. The teams were both coached by Dan Gatts and Jeffery Stephens. This is Dan Gatts' fourth state championship win, previously leading the Cameron High School Dragons to state victories in 2015, 2017 and 2018.
The 2021 Sherrard Middle School History Bowl team took second place at the state competition earlier this month. Pictured, from left, are Tori Finley, Ella Naome, Dan Gatts, Cameron McCord and Sydney Gray. (Photo by Alan Olson)
The students and coaches were honored at a reception at Sherrard Middle School, where WV Department of Arts, Culture and History Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith was on hand to present trophies to the teams.
Grace Gatts said that despite the delay in competing, and the year between qualifying and performing at the state level, the History Bowl itself was a relatively smooth affair.
"It actually went pretty smoothly. It went the same as it usually does, with a few extra guidelines for us to follow, and it meant a lot to all of us," Gatts said. "We worked really hard, last year especially, and we were so excited to go to state. When we got the news it was canceled, we were really disappointed, but we were so excited for the chance to come back.
"We had no idea we were going to do this good, but we're just happy we got the chance," she added. "… My dad's the coach. I've been wanting this my entire life. The girls I did this with, they wanted it more than me. It was amazing just to be able to compete."
Without the History Bowl to keep working toward, Gatts said she'd need to find something new to occupy her time, but more importantly, she needs to stay in touch with her teammates and friends.
"From here, I just need to find more extracurriculars to do. It's a big empty hole in my schedule now. From here, we hope that we get to hang out, because we were starting to go to different schools, but basically we just want to maintain our friendships."
During an assembly, Dan Gatts credited Stephens for finding talent for the History Bowl teams.
"He's the one who teaches West Virginia history, so we throw a lot of ideas (back and forth). He does a lot of recruiting for me — 'Hey, this student would be really good at History Bowl — and over the years we've picked up a few ringers when it comes to that," Gatts said. "Mr. Stephens does a lot in the classroom to help these kids get prepared."
Gatts himself was described by principal Jason Marling as truly one-of-a-kind.
"Mr. Gatts was teacher of the year at Cameron (High School), he's been teacher of the year at Sherrard, and if we colonize Mars in 20 years, he can go there and be teacher of the year there," Marling said. "Wherever he goes, he's going to be among the best at what he does."