The American School for the Deaf will host the event on its West Hartford campus from March 2 to 5.

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The American School for the Deaf (ASD) will host the Gallaudet University East Regional Academic Bowl for Deaf and Hard of Hearing High School Students Friday, March 2 to Monday, March 5, 2018. Teams from Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and West Virginia will compete for the chance to attend the National Academic Bowl at Gallaudet University April 14 to 17, 2018.

This year marks the 21st anniversary of the Academic Bowl. Gallaudet University established the Academic Bowl for deaf and hard of hearing high school students in 1997 with the goal of promoting academic competition among school teams, and to foster academic excellence and achievement among deaf and hard of hearing students across the country. The competition consists of a question and answer game of general knowledge and quick recall. Questions are drawn from the following categories: social studies; language and literature; science and technology; mathematics; arts and entertainment; deaf studies; current events; potpourri; and pop culture, leisure, and sports.

“The Academic Bowl provides deaf and hard of hearing high school students with an amazing opportunity to test their knowledge, network with peers from around the country, and get to know what Gallaudet has to offer,” said Jesse Saunders, director of Youth Programs and Outreach. “The students put a tremendous amount of effort into studying and practicing for this competition throughout the school year. Even though only one team can take home the National Championship title, every team leaves a winner and their hard work and dedication must be celebrated.”

Gallaudet hosts four regional competitions with up to 20 teams per event. The top four teams from each region are automatically invited to the National competition. The two winners of the consolation bracket will take the wild card test. The top four scoring wild card teams out of the wild card teams will then be invited to the National competition.

Indiana School for the Deaf won the Midwest Regional Academic Bowl held in February. The South Regional competition will be held at the Tennessee School for the Deaf February 22 to 25, and the West Regional competition will be held at University High School March 9 to 12.

A special celebration will be held for the 30th anniversary of Deaf President Now (DPN), a deaf community-led civil rights movement that ushered in Gallaudet’s first deaf president in 1988. The event will include three of the DPN movement student leaders, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl, Greg Hlibok, and Tim Rarus, as well as Phil Bravin, who became Gallaudet’s first deaf Board of Trustees chair after DPN. Gallaudet’s President Roberta J. Cordano will also be in attendance. The DPN event will be held on Saturday, March 3 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Ward gymnasium at ASD.

Gallaudet University, federally chartered in 1864, is a bilingual, diverse, multicultural institution of higher education that ensures the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf and hard of hearing individuals through American Sign Language and English. Gallaudet maintains a proud tradition of research and scholarly activity and prepares its graduates for career opportunities in a highly competitive, technological, and rapidly changing world.