A trick question at the end of the annual AP Style Battle put a stop to Sophia Du’s grammar campaign.
“I totally forgot that there wasn’t a Sept. 31,” Du said. “Don’t let anything fool you.”
Du of Lexington, Massachusetts, was one of four finalists in the competition that challenged cherubs to answer 21 AP style questions in only 15 minutes. Cherubs furiously thumbed through their new AP Stylebooks, distributed by Program Director Roger Boye, vying at the chance to win points for their instructor groups.
“The competition felt pretty cutthroat,” Du said.
Instructors Mary Lou Song and Karen Springen orchestrated the battle, reading correct answers aloud to the group. Cherubs with correct answers remained standing while others pitifully sunk into their seats. After each answer was read, instructor Juliet Allan threw candy to those still standing.
Song said the candy reward has been part of the competition since it began 15 years ago.
“Who doesn’t enjoy a piece of candy when you get something right?” she said.
Song said she created the battle to underscore the importance of AP style in an engaging way.
“It sticks with you more than just being told, ‘Hey, make sure that you know you abbreviate boulevard with a number or August with a date,’ right?” Song said.
Finalist Lucy Camp of Mountain View, California, used what she learned from the competition to clean up her assignments later in the program.
“I genuinely did not know there were so many small details,” Camp said. “So having that knowledge going into my later articles, I knew more of what precautions I should be taking.”
Adelle Pitts of Clarksville, Tennessee, earned the coveted title of “Last Cherub Standing,” winning 50 points for her instructor group.
“It was kind of a shock,” Pitts said. “I didn’t think I was going to win because there are like 90 other students.”
