TROY – Some of Southeast Alabama’s brightest high school students will compete in Troy University’s Scholars Bowl Friday, Jan. 20.

Student teams from T.R. Miller High School, Reeltown High School, Lanett High School, Luverne High School, Dadeville High School, Headland High School, Houston County High School, Edward Bell High School, and Horseshoe Bend High School will square off against each other in academic competition covering categories in math, science, history, literature and grammar, said Dr. John Kline, director of the University’s Institute for Leadership Development.

“TROY is pleased to host this event for top high school scholars in the southeastern portion of Alabama. “These are the kinds of kids we love to have at TROY.”

The University has hosted similar competitions in the past and the competition is similar to the televised College Bowl.  Faculty members serve as “readers” of the questions, developed in Illinois, the teams must answer to earn points. The two highest-scoring teams will advance to regional Alabama Scholastic Competition Association competition. TROY’s Scholars Bowl is restricted to public schools Class 3A and smaller that are not magnet schools, said Dr. Marion Parker, who helps coordinate the event for the University.

“One of the advantages of this competition is that the kids get to compete at their own level, and helps make sure that smaller high schools have a chance to compete,” she said.

Kline said about 100 kids are expected to participate in this year’s competition.

“It’s a great chance to showcase what we have here at TROY while the students showcase what they have,” he said.

This year’s Scholars Bowl features a nine-session round-robin tournament that will allow each of the nine schools to earn points by correctly answering questions. The points for each round are tallied to determine the top two scorers, Parker said.

The competition will be from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the McCall Math and Science Complex, Bibb Graves Hall and the New Classroom Building. A welcome will begin at 8:30 a.m. in room 124 in Math and Science, with remarks being made by Dr. John Schmidt, senior vice chancellor for student services.