SCIL state champs again!

Changes both now and in the 60s explored

By RICHARD A. ROSS

BETHEL, NY — The Museum at Bethel Woods is a treasure trove of historical exhibits from the 1960s, a decade of remarkable political, social and cultural changes.

The turbulent ‘60s were defined by the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, social upheaval, assassinations and the emergence of the counterculture.

The storied decade reached its zenith in 1969 with Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon and Sullivan County’s most iconic Woodstock music festival, which took place on the site of the current Bethel Woods Performing Arts Center and Museum 40 years ago this August.

The Museum, whose exhibits hearken back to the events of the decade and to the Woodstock festival, hosted more local history on May 14 as a select group of high school Sullivan County Interacademic League (SCIL) students successfully defended their state championship title won last May against Oswego County’s Academic Youth League (OCAY) in the fifth annual Sullivan Oswego Showdown entitled “60’s Alive.”

Vying for the intellectual and creative state bragging rights, the two teams matched wits in a series of events that required the contestants to address the changes evinced during the ‘60s and since.

The word change had added meaning for SCIL, which has piqued intellectual challenges and creativity for the past 18 years. It is about to be transformed into SCAL, the Sullivan County Academic League, which will be run by Sullivan County BOCES.

Looking to pare down the cost of the existing SCIL program, as well as address concerns about students and teachers missing class time because of the meets, superintendents from the county school districts voted for modifications while hoping to retain some of the stimulating and challenging aspects that the program has promulgated over the years.

Seven of the eight county districts will participate in SCAL, but Monticello is opting out of the program in favor of participation in Odyssey of the Mind.

The Showdown’s tasks were designed by SCIL advisers Brian Tingley and Ron Hughes of Tri-Valley. It would be their swan song for dreaming up such challenges, as the two do not plan to continue into a second decade of brainstorming. Both have expressed their dismay about the proposed changes.

Tingley, the program’s coordinator, has been on board for 10 years, but his position will soon be filled by a yet-to-be-named BOCES employee. Only two of the six meets next year will be held during school hours. The remainder will be held either after school or on Saturdays. That will likely exclude advisers, who are also athletic coaches, and it will limit the participation of many dynamic students who are involved in sports, work or take part in other after school ventures.

As the students from Sullivan County and Oswego were about to ponder, change is inevitable. What the future will bring for the SCAL program remains to be seen.

After settling for the silver medal for the first three years, the Sullivan County All-Stars captured the Showdown on the Shore of Lake Oswego last May and came home with gold medals.

The Showdowns have alternated between the two regions, so this year it returned to Sullivan County. With the help of Margaret Hughes, the Museum’s Education Director, the facility served as a historical reference for students who watched a film in the theatre and then did research amid the gorgeous exhibits to source out information that would be key in answering trivia questions about the decade. This was the third SCIL meet held at The Museum, which is an outstanding educational resource.

Do you know the identity of the famous pediatrician who spoke out as an antiwar activist? Do you know what year Richard Nixon resigned? If you answered Dr. Benjamin Spock and 1974, you were correct.

Students wore tie-dye t-shirts provided by host SCIL. The colorful shirts seemed fitting attire for The Museum. They bore the words “SOS V, 60’s Alive.”

Each county fielded two teams whose combined scores determined this year’s winner. In a “Race for Space,” teams designed aerodynamic balloon rockets that would have to travel the furthest distance along a string line set out on the museum’s veranda. Sullivan County’s Team Four won the challenge as their rocket flew an impressive 278 inches.

Each team was required to write and perform a skit that depicted change in the 1960s. One Sullivan County team used a radio show format, while the other deployed singing and dancing to re-enact Muhammad Ali’s rise to fame, Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream,” speech and Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon. Oswego’s kids referenced the U-2 spying incident, the Rome Olympics and later John Glenn’s orbiting of the earth, the March on Washington and the assassinations of Dr. King and Robert F. Kennedy.

Another task involved the writing of new lyrics to Don McLean’s iconic song “American Pie,” that would reference events that signaled change in the post-’60s era. Song lyrics, presentation, symbolism and meaning were assessed by judges.

Team Four, led by the fine singing of Sullivan West’s Hannah Rettoun, took first place in the “American Pie Redux” competition.

After lunch, Tingley announced the results: SCIL 2009 gold medalists and still state champions 233.88 points; OCAY silver medalists and state runner up 226.92 points. Kudos to both teams, their advisers, and to the staff at The Museum at Bethel Woods, including Hughes and production coordinator Jeff Weinstein.