News briefs: Fisher Catholic students to complete in National Academic Quiz Tournament
With its championship win at the Gahanna Invitational, the quiz bowl team from William V. Fisher Catholic High School in Lancaster proved themselves worthy to play on a national stage. On Friday, April 28, the team will represent their school in a 128-team national competition: National Academic Quiz Tournaments' Small School National Championship Tournament.
Quiz bowl is a competitive, academic, interscholastic activity for teams of four students. Quiz bowl teams use buzzers to answer questions about science, math, history, literature, mythology, geography, social science, current events, sports, and popular culture. The matches feature a blend of individual competition and team collaboration, since no individual player is likely to be an expert in all subject areas. Participation in quiz bowl both reinforces lessons from the classroom and encourages players to develop new intellectual interests.
Fisher Catholic has attended the Small School National Championship Tournament once before. In 2022 they finished 5-5.
The SSNCT is the only quiz bowl national championship pitting small schools against each other. It has one division containing non-selective public schools with 500 or fewer students in their top three grades, and another division for other schools with 350 or fewer students in their top three grades. Fisher Catholic may face familiar foes in Rosemont, as Benjamin Logan (from Bellefontaine), Shelby, and Waynedale (from Apple Creek) will also be attending.
The team comes in with some nationals experience: Sophie Morrison played the 2022 Small School National Championship Tournament.
The team, in the Open Division, will consist of Liam Hoch, Colin Michaelis, Sophie Morrison, Bruno Aguero Puerta, and Claire Sickafoose. The team will be coached by Lynn Stevenson, who will be assisted by Michael Sedlack.
Tournament results will be updated throughout the three days of competition at http://www.naqt.com/go/stats/13401 so everyone can follow along and see how the team does. You can also follow #ssnct on Twitter.
Queen of the Lake boat tours
BUCKEYE LAKE -- Saturday, May 20 the Buckeye Lake Museum will begin its public tour season on The Queen of the Lake sternwheeler with tours at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The docking location is Lieb’s Island in Millersport.
Tickets need to be purchased online. The museum website offers all the information about the public tours along with special events such as dinner cruises, evening cruises, Sunday brunch, music events and the popular Girls ‘Night Out cruise.
The Queen of the Lake is an 88-foot sternwheeler that was restored by volunteers and took its first tour in 2020. Donated to the Historical Society by Doc and Cindy Downing of Malta it took over four years and 10,000 volunteer hours to become the third sternwheeler on Buckeye Lake since the 1950s. Tours are narrated as it cruises some of the shoreline of Buckeye Lake.
Director J-me Braig said,” This year we are doubling our tours as the Museum Board hired a Captain, Arron Kierns and Event Coordinator Kaye Hartman. This is going to be our busiest season ever and we are very excited. Our calendar is filling up quickly.”
Private events are available for reunions, family outings, parties and corporate events. Catering is available.
For more information, contact Buckeye Lake Museum at 740-929-1998 or www.buckeyelakehistory.org or Facebook.
May is Public Assistance Fraud Awareness Month
LANCASTER – May is Public Assistance Fraud Awareness Month in Ohio, and Fairfield County Job and Family Services (FCJFS) is spreading the word that “Fraud Costs All of Us.”
FCJFS, with assistance from the Fairfield County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, is committed to protecting taxpayer’s dollars by combatting public assistance fraud. Public assistance fraud is committed by an individual who lies or misleads the agency with the intent to receive benefits they are not eligible to receive. A small percentage of those receiving public assistance commit fraud. FCJFS takes any amount of fraud seriously and fully investigates each case and seeks to recover what was fraudulently taken.
In 2022, FCJFS proved fraud on more than 51 cases. Of these cases, 13 were prosecuted by the Fairfield County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office with losses totaling $602,834. Each of these cases is ordered to pay full restitution and some individuals were sentenced to jail time. FCJFS collected more than $504,000 in 2022 for benefits that were received erroneously. Most of this money is sent back to the federal and state government while Fairfield County receives a small percentage based on the amount collected in each program area.
“Fairfield County Job and Family Services takes all allegations of fraud and misuse seriously,” said Fairfield County Fraud and Benefit Recovery Supervisor Heather Shields. “Each allegation is thoroughly reviewed and investigated. Most customers who apply for public assistance provide true and accurate information, however, those who decide to provide false or misleading information to obtain these benefits will be held accountable. It is our mission and duty to uphold the integrity of the Public Assistance Programs.”
Residents of Fairfield County may report suspected public assistance fraud by calling the FCJFS Fraud Hotline at 740-652-7616 or via the agency website at www.fcjfs.org.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: News briefs: Fisher Catholic students to complete in National Academic Quiz Tournament
