The IHS Academic Challenge team won team champion at the CVC tournament at Geneva High School on Saturday, February 7.
Not only did the IHS team place first in the CVC tournament, but they also placed second overall in the Academic Challenge competition at Riverside High School on January 24.
Academic Challenge is a club in IHS and many other schools throughout Ohio. These clubs can compete in the Ohio Academic Competition, in which teams of students from different schools work with their peers to answer trivia questions. Each school competes against another in a round, switching opponents as the competition progresses.
Of course, winning isn’t everything.
“The most important part of the competition is to have fun,” senior Mes Sheehan said. “Winning is epic but it’s more of a bonus in my opinion.”
Freshman Quincy Carlisle, who attended the Riverside competition but not the CVC tournament, emphasized another crucial pillar in the competitions: the importance of teamwork. “It’s not solo. You have to work with your team, or you’re not going to succeed,” Carlisle said.
Academic Challenge advisor Mr. Bill McGuinness agrees with that stance. “The biggest thing I would like to see is great teamwork and camaraderie and just enjoy the experience and support each other.”
Junior Carmen Chen holds the same view. “You don’t know the questions—you gotta figure it out with your team. You gotta listen to other people.” Chen also credits the “ability to think on your feet.”
The IHS team felt immense satisfaction after their victory at Geneva High School. McGuinness took note of “how proud everybody was holding the plaque and getting their medals on Saturday—all that hard work.”
Because of their victory at the tournament, the IHS team qualified for the Ohio Academic Competition regional tournament. Academic Challenge is available to all students. To join the club, see Mr. McGuinness in Room 212.
