February 10, 2015
‘Accounting Challenge’ to test students’ skills
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- High school and community college students will face off at the 17th annual Accounting Challenge on Friday, Feb. 20, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
The School of Accountancy in the College of Business sponsors the event, where students have a chance to earn college scholarships and other prizes. More than 330 students from 26 different schools are registered for the challenge, which features tests of skills and knowledge for individuals and teams.
The event is from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the small gymnasium in the Student Recreation Center.
Media Advisory
Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to cover the team competition of the Accounting Challenge. The team competition is set for 10:30 a.m. to noon in the small gymnasium at the Student Recreation Center.
The challenge begins at 9:30 a.m. with an academic competition testing the accounting knowledge and skills of participants.
The team building challenge follows at 10:30 a.m. and each team will be asked to accomplish a creative feat. Competitors will not know what the challenge is until it begins, but organizers always assure it is fun, innovative and entertaining.
For instance, one year each team got a handful of commonplace supplies including paper and tape and had to build a container that would prevent an egg from breaking when the package was dropped from the gymnasium balcony. Other past challenges have involved creating flying objects, capsules that would prevent a hammer from crushing fruit inside and more.
This year, students from 22 high schools and four community colleges will compete. The individual students with the highest scores in three divisions (accounting 1, advanced accounting, and community college) will have the chance to win certificates and claim scholarships of up to $500 if they attend SIU and major in accounting.
The winners in the team building contest take home trophies for their schools and individual team members. In addition, participants can win a variety of prizes donated by local businesses. The awards presentation begins about 1 p.m.