Wednesday May 14th marked the 37th annual Academic Field Day for Sevier County schools, an event that brings more than 240 seventh and eighth graders together to compete in a round of written tests.
Top marks in the event went to Amy Webb of Seymour Middle School in mathematics, Dustin Gamza of Sevierville Middle School in science, Sarah Driggers of Sevierville Middle School in language arts, and Mitch Barton of Caton’s Chapel School in social studies.
Eleanor Hayes, coordinator of the event since 1984, told The Herald, “One of the things that set this year apart was that every school that participated had at least one winner.”
The event, held each year in May, gives top students a chance to visit Gatlinburg (some of them for the first time), enjoy some friendly if fierce competition, and perhaps even take home a medal or plaque. The top twenty finishers for each test are recognized.
The tests, which are based on the accelerated curricula taught in each class, are created and compiled by the teachers of the eleven county schools that hold classes for eighth and seventh graders. The teachers also often work hard behind the scenes tutoring the students to prepare them for the competition.
“It’s a wonderful activity with an emphasis on academics. The schools and the kids look forward to it every year. They really want to win – it’s about bragging rights,” stated Larry Stott, Instructional Supervisor of Secondary Education.
“We make the tests a bit harder than what they might see on a TCAP achievement test, to challenge the students and give us a definite winner.”
Glenn Bogart, involved with the event for fourteen years and principal at host school Pi Beta Phi, said about the event, “I believe that Academic Field Day is a very healthy and appropriate event to showcase the individual students and their schools in terms of their abilities and achievements. It’s important that students that excel academically have an opportunity to compete with their fellow students – to reinforce the subjects that they are studying and see the results of that. In a culture that is so consumed with sports achievements, it’s just as or more important to recognize those students that excel academically, which is the reason that the students are in school to begin with.
“We are very fortunate that Academic Field Day is supported by the school system and the Sevier County Educational Foundation that supplies the plaques and medals. The individual schools provide the chaperones and bus transportation, making it a combined effort of the schools and the community that make the event possible. Pi Beta Phi and the city of Gatlinburg, along with the downtown attractions that participate, provide a pleasant and appropriate setting. They all deserve a degree of praise.”
The Guinness World Records Museum, and all the Ripley’s attractions except the Aquarium provided free admission to the students that participated.

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