Placing third in conference, Academic Team astonished the crowd and judges with their outstanding tenacity and their impressive possession of knowledge.

Participating in Academic Team can be strenuous for the mind and requires facing the stress of competition; however, the team this year worked harder than ever to get as far as they did and aimed for their names to be learned and faces to be remembered.

“My favorite memory from this year was seeing us place third in our conference tournament. Our team came into the final match incredibly motivated to place, and we did so in a resounding fashion. It was very special to see how excited the entire program was to get to this point,” said head coach Noah Scibbe.

Academic Team consisted of many extremely talented students, and we’re lucky to have just as amazing teachers to help lead it. Senior Kevin Scanlan, the captain of the Academic Team, kindly mentioned the person he considers having the best stats.

“The best stats would probably be David. He’s really crazy smart. When he knows something, he’s not afraid to just buzz in and go for it, and he gets a whole bunch of the most random stuff that I never expect anyone to get. It’s kind of crazy,” Scanlan said.

Ever wondered about joining, but unsure of the rules to play? Simply put, the club can be for everyone and anyone who desires a good old fashioned game of trivia. Here’s how it works and how to set anyone on their way to becoming the next trivia superstar.

“Academic Team events work in that each team plays three matches a night. We meet once a week and may play three different schools on a night-to-night basis. Teams are given a toss up question on a variety of subjects that, if answered correctly, gives them points. Answering the toss up question then allows for bonus questions to be asked and answered for even more points. At the end of the match, the team who has answered the most questions correctly wins. Our turnout for events has been small as we did not allow spectators the past few years due to COVID. As we start letting spectators return, more and more people have come,” Scibbe said.

Though prominently displayed in the name, Academic Team isn’t all about high GPAs and being the smartest of the class. Everyone on the team is academically inclined by their own means and may participate in the fun however they please.

“Everyone has something that they know or enjoy. So regardless of where you come from, or how much you know, in school, there’s always some kind of trivia that you can get and understand. And it’s just fun being able to participate in that way and be part of a team where everyone has their own things that they know and then you contribute together,” Scanlan said.

Academic Team may be just another after school club where students continue to dwell in the scholar field, but it’s so much more than what it’s put out to be on the outside. Don’t judge a book by its cover, as this club shows even the not so academically inclined students can love and appreciate this team as a work of art.

“Academic Team has had a great impact on my life. It has brought me closer together with students from different walks of life and has made me a better teacher in general. It also has allowed me to give back to our school in a great way,” Scibbe said.

If anyone is looking for a club where both teamwork and individual participation coexist, Academic Team will prove fun even for students who aren’t as extroverted as others and still allow them freedom to enjoy who and where they are.

“I’ve been doing Academic Team for quite a long time now, all four years in high school. But, I think what makes it special to me is the combination of both team aspects and individual participation. You’re not going to be able to get every single question, but it’s the way the team works together. It makes it fun,” Scanlan said.