The final of the annual Quiz Bowl took place Dec. 8 in the auditorium, with Grade 11 Team JCAT ultimately winning the tournament as well as £20 Amazon Gift vouchers. Eight teams competed against each other Dec. 6-7 in order to qualify for the final.
HS English Teacher Hannah Notowitz, the organizer of the past two Quiz Bowls, said cutting down the teams to two finalists has always been a difficult and extensive process. The first two days are divided into heats between Grades 9 and 11 and then Grades 10 and 12, until there are two teams left to face off in an assembly.
Notowitz also said the winners of the Quiz Bowl will compete in an inter-school competition against seven other schools during parent-teacher conferences in February.
Trevon Ashton (’25), who was part of Team JCAT, said he practices behind the scenes, making sure he is ready for the final.
“I just do a lot of quizzes, that’s generally how I prepare,” Ashton said. “What I like to do is just revise questions in certain categories and that really helps when it comes down to the final stages of the tournament.”
Furthermore, Ashton said he enjoys participating in these events because his team collaborates well together, and he loves the audience’s enthusiasm.
“I really like when our whole team is kind of firing together on all cylinders,” Ashton said. “It’s really fun, always, especially with an interactive audience.”
Notowitz said the Quiz Bowl recognizes students with general knowledge and inspires other members of the community to explore new topics.
“It will give the students who just have that knowledge and that love of trivia, some status in the school,” Notowitz said. “I think it makes people respect knowledge and I think it will inspire students to read and learn things.”
