Knowledge Master Open
The Knowledge Master Open (commonly known as Knowledge Masters or KMO) was a computer-based semiannual worldwide academic competition produced by Academic Hallmarks. During KMO competitions, teams of students from many schools earned points by answering multiple-choice questions quickly and accurately. The questions included fifteen subject areas: American history, world history, government, recent events, economics & law, geography, literature, English, math, physical science, biology, earth science, health & psychology, fine arts, and useless trivia.[1]
The competition started in 1983 with 74 schools. In 2009, there were about 45,000 participants from over 3,000 high schools and middle schools in the U.S. and other countries. The last contest occurred in April 2013. Over the 30 years of KMO competition, more than 2.4 million students participated. [2]
There were five levels of competition. 5th and 6th grade contests were held in January and March and consisted of 100 questions. On the other hand, middle school (up to grade 8), junior high (up to grade 9), and high school (up to grade 12) contests were held in December and April and consisted of 200 questions.
The Academic Hallmarks and Knowledge Masters mascot is a great auk[3] with an affinity for puns.
Rules and scoring
Each participating school received a password-protected disk (originally a floppy disk, later a CD-ROM) containing the contest questions. Only the first use of the password would generate a valid score report for submission to Academic Hallmarks. Team size was left to each individual school's discretion.
All questions were multiple-choice, with a maximum value of 10 points each.[4] Each question and its category were displayed on screen, with five choices and a 60-second timer. A correct answer on the first try awarded five points, with up to five bonus points depending on the response time. If time expired or an incorrect response was given, the timer was reset to 60 seconds and the team was given a second chance to answer.[5] Two points were awarded for a correct second-chance response, with no bonus.
Bonus points were awarded for correct first-try answers as follows:
| More than | No more than | Bonus points |
|---|---|---|
| 0 seconds | 7 seconds | 5 |
| 7 seconds | 12 seconds | 4 |
| 12 seconds | 17 seconds | 3 |
| 17 seconds | 22 seconds | 2 |
| 22 seconds | 29 seconds | 1 |
| 29 seconds | 60 seconds | 0 |
The maximum potential score was 1,000 points (5th/6th grade) or 2,000 points (middle school and up), attainable by answering every question correctly on the first try and in less than 7 seconds each.
Teams could take up to three 5-minute breaks during the contest. They could use pencil and paper, but no other resources such as calculators or reference books, and assistance from coaches or spectators was not allowed.
Once a particular contest was over, the participating schools could use a second password to unlock the questions for unlimited use in practice sessions.
Recent winners
According to the official web site, the following is the list of recent winners:[6]
High school, junior high, and middle school
| Year | High School | Junior High | Middle School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 1995 | Thomas Jefferson (VA) | State College Area High School (9th Grade) (PA) | Kealing Junior High School (TX) |
| Fall 1995 | Thomas Jefferson (VA) | L. A. Chaffin Junior High School (AR) | Buford Middle School (VA) |
| Spring 1996 | Thomas Jefferson (VA) | Auburn High School (9th) (AL) | Harry F. Byrd Middle School (VA) |
| Fall 1996 | Montgomery Blair (MD) | West Junior High (MN) | College Station Junior High (TX) |
| Spring 1997 | Montgomery Blair (MD) | West Junior High (MN) | College Station Junior High (TX) |
| Mount Nittany Middle School (PA) | |||
| Fall 1997 | State College Area High School (PA) | State College Area High School (9th Grade) (PA) | St. Robert School (WI) |
| Spring 1998 | Manheim Township High School (PA) | Sapulpa Junior High (OK) | Kealing Junior High School (TX) |
| Fall 1998 | Thomas Jefferson (VA) | Detroit Catholic Central Junior High (MI) | Noe Middle School (KY) |
| Spring 1999 | Montgomery Blair (MD) | Detroit Catholic Central Junior High (MI) | Ruckel Middle School (FL) |
| Fall 1999 | State College Area High School (PA) | Niceville High School (9th Grade) (FL) | Sycamore School (IN) |
| Spring 2000 | Walter Johnson High School (MD) | Niceville High School (9th Grade) (FL) | Sycamore School (IN) |
| Montgomery Blair (MD) | |||
| Fall 2000 | Montgomery Blair (MD) | Baton Rouge Magnet High School (9th Grade) (LA) | Sycamore School (IN) |
| Spring 2001 | State College Area High School (PA) | Baton Rouge Magnet High School (9th Grade) (LA) | Carnage Middle School (NC) |
| Fall 2001 | Thomas Jefferson (VA) | Moscow Junior High School (ID) | Sycamore School (IN) |
| Spring 2002 | Thomas Jefferson (VA) | Rock Island High School (9th Grade) (IL) | Carnage Middle School (NC) |
| Sycamore School (IN) | |||
| Fall 2002 | Thomas Jefferson (VA) | Auburn High School (freshmen) (IL) | Swanson Middle School (VA) |
| Spring 2003 | Thomas Jefferson (VA) | Auburn High School (freshmen) (IL) | Ruckel Middle School (FL) |
| Fall 2003 | Thomas Jefferson (VA) | Jesuit High School (9th Grade) (LA) | Ruckel Middle School (FL) |
| Spring 2004 | Thomas Jefferson (VA) | Jesuit High School (9th Grade) (LA) | The Westminster Schools (GA) |
| Fall 2004 | Thomas Jefferson (VA) | Jesuit High School (9th Grade) (LA) | Duluth Middle School (GA) |
| Spring 2005 | Thomas Jefferson (VA) | Jesuit High School (9th Grade) (LA) | Ladue Middle School (MO) |
| Fall 2005 | Thomas Jefferson (VA) | State College Area High School (9th Grade) (PA) | Webb Bridge Middle School (GA) |
| Spring 2006 | Auburn High School (IL) | Wayzata High School (MN) | Northwest Junior High School (IA) |
| Fall 2006 | State College Area High School (PA) | Cumberland Valley High School (9th grade) (PA) | Webb Bridge Middle School (GA) |
| Spring 2007 | State College Area High School (PA) | Dunbar High School (9th Grade) (KY) | Webb Bridge Middle School (GA) |
| Fall 2007 | Bergen County Academies (NJ) | Maggie Walker GSGIS (VA) | Sycamore School (IN) |
| Fall 2008 | State College Area High School (PA) | Hopkins West Junior High School (MN) | Chamblee Middle School |
| Spring 2009 | Raleigh Charter High School (NC) | Brookings High School (SD) | Longfellow Middle School (VA) |
| Fall 2009 | Montgomery Blair High School (MD) | Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) | Longfellow Middle School (VA) |
| Spring 2010 | Torrey Pines High School (CA) | Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) | Longfellow Middle School (VA) |
| Fall 2010 | Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) | State College Area High School (PA) | Longfellow Middle School (VA) |
| Spring 2011 | State College Area High School (PA) | ||
| Fall 2011 | North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NC) | ||
| Spring 2012 | William G. Enloe High School (NC) | J.P. Stevens High School (NJ) | Longfellow Middle School (VA) |
6th and 5th Grade
| Year | 6th Grade | 5th Grade |
|---|---|---|
| January 2006 | Hilltop Elementary School (OH) | Grace Wilday School (NJ) |
| March 2006 | Sycamore School (IN) | Hough Street School (IL) |
| January 2007 | Ladue Middle School (MO) | Hough Street School (IL) |
| March 2007 | Mt. Pleasant Middle School (NJ) | Hough Street School (IL) |
| January 2008 | The Westminster Schools (GA) | Hough Street School (IL) |
| March 2008 | Wayzata Central Middle School (MN) | Brandon Valley Schools (SD) |
| January 2009 | Swanson Middle School (VA) | Hough Street School (IL) |
| March 2009 | Webb Bridge Middle School (GA) | Hough Street School (IL) |
| January 2010 | Kealing Middle School (TX) | Hough Street School (IL) |
See also
References
- Oak Park among world leaders in competition, Trading Markets – Press Release, April 29, 2009 – accessed May 19, 2009
- Strong Showing in the Knowledge Master Open, HHS Life and Times, January 5, 2009 – accessed May 19, 2009
- Competition summons inner intellect Archived 2011-06-02 at the Wayback Machine, The Oshkosh West Index, Dec 17, 2004 – accessed May 19, 2009
- It's Academic Team to compete in Knowledge Master Open, Silver Chips Online, December 6, 2006 – accessed May 19, 2009
- Students prep for a quiz they like Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, Ann Arbor News, March 23, 2009 – accessed May 19, 2009
- KMO Hall of Fame
- GreatAuk.com, the official Academic Hallmarks website.