Central’s new quiz bowl team, run by math teacher Rachel Mulder, was established at the beginning of this year, and there are currently about a dozen members. 

Mulder enjoyed teaching a quiz bowl team at her old schools, Ralston and Burke, and she was thrilled to make the announcement that Central would have a team this year. Many students were also thrilled to see there would be a team.  

 The team environment has been described as encouraging and positive. 

 “The team environment is another great aspect of the activity. If you don’t know something, your teammates likely will,” senior Brayden Simpson said. 

 Some members were previously on a middle school team, which inspired their decision to join the team this year.  

 “I joined quiz bowl because of my positive experience in middle school and the wonderful teammates I knew I would have,” senior Valur Jaksha said. 

 The team practices on Tuesdays after school. A usual practice consists of Kahoots and questions from previous competitions with buzzers. Mulder said it can be hard to study because you never know what is coming in the competitions. 

 The team recently had their first competition and placed second. There were 14 teams competing and Central won the round robin, which decides who is predicted to perform best in the competition. The team was the number one seed going into the afternoon. 

 “It’s nice to have a well-rounded team. One of our students is really good at math, one is really good at social studies, one knows a lot about music, so it’s a good way to get a mixture of strengths,” Mulder said. 

 At competitions, there are four people on a team. When the question is presented, whoever buzzes in must answer within 10 seconds. If the question is answered correctly, the student is given another question where they can consult their team. If the answer is incorrect or the student is out of time, the other team is given the opportunity to answer.  

 “The [sharing] of knowledge is what makes us a successful team, and you’ve got to be willing to listen just as much as you are willing to talk,” Jaksha said. 

 There is a competition coming up in December, to which Mulder hopes to send two teams.  

 Mulder said that the team is still open to new members.  

 “You don’t have to be the smartest person in your class to do well at this; you just have to have something that you are strong in,” Mulder said.