LifeSmarts for grades 6 through 8
LifeSmarts is an exciting opportunity to compete, learn, and be rewarded for your success. Our Junior Varsity program is specifically designed to help middle school students prepare to enter the real world, armed with the knowledge and consumer know-how they’ll need to succeed as an adult.
2025 Virtual Junior Varsity National LifeSmarts Championship May 14-15, 2025 Results
Georgia Wins Junior Varsity National LifeSmarts Championship
Congratulations, Georgia!
The virtual Junior Varsity National LifeSmarts Championship was held May 14-15 with fifteen State LifeSmarts Junior Varsity Champion Teams from across the country competing. The LifeSmarts Junior Varsity level involves students who are currently in grades 6 – 8. Teams of 4 to 5 students competed virtually in East and West Divisions with the top two teams in each division advancing to the semifinals on Thursday, May 15th. The winner of each semifinal competition advanced to the final competition match.
The teams from Georgia (Cobb County 4-H JV, Georgia 4-H) and Wisconsin (Oconto Middle School) were the East division semifinalists while California (Toby Johnson Middle School) and Kansas (Trailridge Middle School ) were the West division semifinalists. In very close semifinal matches, Georgia and California advanced to the Junior Varsity National Championship Finals.
In a hard-fought match, Georgia won the Junior Varsity National LifeSmarts Championship title. The Georgia team members are Camille Days, Rakshath Jayavel, Navin Natarajan, Malhar Rajole, and Joy Patadia. Coaches are Kathleen McElroy and Colleen Bakhsh.
The team earned the title of Junior Varsity National LifeSmarts Champion, LifeSmarts Champion medallions, a cash award for the team, and other prizes courtesy of LifeSmarts and LifeSmarts sponsors.
California took second place, with Kansas and Wisconsin tying for third place. These teams receive a cash prize and LifeSmarts medallions.
Also competing in the Junior Varsity National LifeSmarts Championship were teams from Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, , North Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas.
Congratulations to these teams, their coaches, and the states, clubs and schools they represent!
About the Virtual Junior Varsity National LifeSmarts Championship:
- JV State LifeSmarts Champion team coaches will receive detailed information on the competition.
- JV State LifeSmarts Champion teams must register here by April 25th, 2025 at Noon.
- JV Coaches and teams who are competing in the Virtual Junior Varsity National LifeSmarts Championship, must also fill out the forms here, if they did not fill them out previously for their state competition. Due by Noon on April 25th, 2025.
Compete in your State JV Championship
Students begin online where they use LifeSmarts resources, practice quizzes and available competitions, and, when they’re ready, compete for a final score. Many states do not host an in-person event, so the team with the highest score in the state is declared the state champion. Visit your state page for details.
The last day for states to host their JV Championship either in-person or via an online quiz is March 14th.
Click here to review the registration process for online competition.
If your state hosts an in-person JV competition:
- Four- or five-person teams compete online with the chance to advance to the JV state championship
- Teams must complete the online qualification quizzes before their state’s online closing date
- The state coordinator will notify coaches if their JV team has qualified for the in-person state competition
If your state does not host an in-person JV competition:
- The team with the highest online score is declared the State JV Champion.
Monthly TeamSmarts Awards
From August through February, your team may compete against other Junior Varsity teams in the monthly TeamSmarts quiz. Each month the top-scoring Junior Varsity team will receive a $100 cash prize. Click here to learn more about TeamSmarts.
- Teams are eligible to win one TeamSmarts award per program year. This includes one team per school, county, club, etc.
- To compete for the monthly prize, coaches must select “Junior Varsity” for their team type. (Teams may have more than one team type such as 4-H , FBLA, FCCLA, BPA, etc.)
