9th Annual Ojibwe Language College Quiz Bowl

By Ramona Bird, May 18, 2015

The 9th Annual Ojibwe Language College Quiz Bowl took place Saturday, April 25. The University of Minnesota-Duluth hosted the yearly event at their medical school. The Tribal Sovereignty Institute at the University of Minnesota-Duluth provided sponsorship for this year’s Quiz Bowl.

Six teams representing universities and colleges from across Minnesota participated in the one-day competition. Schools represented included the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, University of Minnesota-Duluth, Leech Lake Tribal College, College of St. Scholastica, and the Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College/Central Lakes College.

This annual event was initiated to support high school students who had participated in the middle school and high school language quiz bowls to continue their language learning at the university and college levels.

As in the past, the Quiz Bowl was a double knockout tournament that comprised of two divisions. Division I comprised of teams who have less than one year of Ojibwe language courses at the university or college level. Division II comprised of teams who have more than one year of Ojibwe language courses at the university or college level. Each team consisted of one to four players.

After intense and exciting competition rounds, University of Minnesota-Duluth clinched first place in Division I. Second place went to the Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College/Central Lakes College. In Division II, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities secured first place and second place went to University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Congratulations goes out to the Division I second place team, Michelle Beaulieu and Bob Andrys representing Central Lakes College and Trevor Spry representing Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College/Central Lakes College. This team is unique as the students are either registered to the Beginning Ojibwe II class offered through Central Lakes College or the Anishinaabe Language II class offered through the Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College, taught by Dan Jones at the Fond Du Lac location.

This class is a collaborative partnership between the two colleges and is delivered using Interactive Television, or ITV. The technology enables the course to be offered to students at three separate locations across north central Minnesota. The main classroom, with the instructor, is located at Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College, a second location at the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Anishinaabe College, and the third location at the Minisinaakwaang Leadership Academy.