A trio of Grove City College students will put their knowledge and understanding of American history and Western Civilization to the test against students from the Ivy League and another elite Christian college later this month in New York City.
The College was selected to compete in the second annual American History and Western Civilization Challenge Bowl against teams from Harvard, Princeton and The King’s College, which is hosting the event.
The Challenge Bowl team consists of Noah Gould ’20 of Granby, Mass., Carolyn Hartwick ’19 of Fairless Hills, Pa. and Elena Peters ’20 of Windsor, Conn. All three are part of the Trustee Scholar program, which provides scholarship assistance and enhanced opportunities to a select group of students. Their coach for the contest, Dr. Jason R. Edwards, professor of History, is delighted that bowl-sponsor the American Heritage Education Foundation considered the College.
“It shows that Grove City College is nationally known for supporting America’s founding principles. Furthermore, it attests to the wealth of students here who possess a knowledge base capable of competing at the highest academic levels. The team is working hard to ensure we live up to that hard won reputation and represent our college, country and families well,” Edwards said.
Grove City College will take on Princeton in the semi-finals on Jan. 25 while Harvard goes up against The King’s College. The winners of the preliminary contests will face off on Jan. 26 for the finals. Beyond bragging rights, winning team members will each take home a $4,000 cash prize.
The competition consists of a five-minute oral essay on the historical and philosophical foundations behind the idea of constitutional accountability and a series of short-answer “toss-up” questions to the teams.
The competition’s focus reflects Grove City College’s commitment to providing students with a liberal arts education that reinforces the faith and freedom foundations of American society.
Gould, an Economics major, said competing in the Challenge Bowl is one of a variety of opportunities that Grove City College provides to students. The contest, he said, is a unique way to encourage others to learn and understand the events and ideas that continue to shape our society.
“It is important for students to be familiar with the great ideas, people, and events in history. When I chose Grove City, I was eager to attend a school that had a rigorous core curriculum and I look forward to putting that knowledge to the test. I hope the event is a time to engage with important ideas and advertise the need to focus education on the core ideas of our civilization,” he said.
Peters, a History major with a Math minor, has been boning up on the subject matter. She said it is an honor to participate in the Challenge Bowl and a real testament to the quality of Grove City College.
“The fact that Grove City College was invited to compete against such prestigious institutions as Princeton, Harvard and The King's College speaks, I believe, to the high caliber of education that it offers,” she said. “Win or lose, if we carry ourselves in a way honoring to God in our approach to the competition and in our interactions with others, I think that that can be considered a success and hope that it will make the college proud.”
The Challenge Bowl was established by the American Heritage Education Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the teaching and understanding of America’s philosophical heritage, to address the problem of increasing deficiency in – and need for – strong civic education.
The competition will be livestreamed. To watch or attend the Challenge Bowl, Click here.