March 10, 2005 – Julius E. Sprauve sixth grader Raquel Edwards, 12, is one smart cookie. After many students called in with what they hoped was the correct answer to the Sen. Louis Patrick Hill Academic Quiz Contest on Feb. 20, she was the one with the right answer. The call-in contest was held on KISS FM radio.
Hill Thursday awarded her a certificate in a short ceremony at Sprauve School. She'll also get a $1,000 savings bond for her efforts.
"They had to add the number of stripes in the U.S. flag," Hill began, ticking off the first of the questions that needed answering.
He said the students then had to add in the number of senators in the U.S. Senate and subtract the number of bills in the Constitution's Bill of Rights.
The correct answer?
"One hundred and three," Hill said.
There are 13 stripes in the U.S. flag. Add 100 senators – two for each of the 50 states – and subtract 10 for the 10 bills in the Bill of Rights.
Hill asked the same questions of the dozen or so students gathered with Raquel for an afternoon music class. None got it right.
Raquel later said that math was her best subject. Although she said she wanted to be a "hair dresser" or a "nail technician," she added that she would like to go to college.
Her mother, Aethra Edwards, was on hand for the event. She said that all four of her children were good students.
"I encourage them," she said.
Sprauve School principal Mario Francis said that students whose parents are involved are almost always the ones who succeed.
Raquel was the first winner of what Hill expects to be a quarterly event.
Hill, who has four children, said that he began the contest to place an emphasis on academics.
"There aren't very many academic things to encourage children to be bright," he said.
He told Raquel and her fellow students that if they don't get an education, their chances of doing well and making money are greatly diminished.
When one student remarked that rappers make lots of money, he asked them if any of them thought they had the talent to succeed in the music field. None thought they did.
He said his hour-long radio program starts with a half hour of remarks on the importance of education.
Hill said he funds the savings bond from his salary and donations. He told the students that he gave Raquel a savings bond rather than cash so it can be tucked away for college rather than on "shoes from Footlocker."
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