Bishop Verot students take second in Scholar’s Bowl
Members of Bishop Verot High School’s National Honor Society competed in a Scholar’s Bowl this weekend in Orlando where they earned second place against other schools from across the United States.
Competitive quiz bowls are entered by high schools and colleges across the country who put forward teams of students to answer tossup or bonus questions in a television show format.
In the competition students sit at a table and set off a buzzer if they know the answer.
The competition was a National Quiz Bowl where teams from each school were asked a variety of short-answer questions. Bishop Verot was one of 20 schools that entered the contest by taking a written exam on the first day of the conference.
Over the course of two days all teams were eliminated to four finalists who entered the final round. In the end Bishop Verot came in second after being defeated by Plano High, a 3,000-student school in Texas.
“This is first year they registered for the bowl,” said Dan Jackman, spokesperson for the school. “They got up and took on some pretty challenging teams who go around for other academic bowls.”
Verot’s team included Emily Simpson, Hillary Gunder, Laurel Bergau, Phil Palmon and Kaitlin Sovich. Most of the students are National Merit finalists or semifinalists, said Jackman.
“It was amazing. It is truly a testament to the education they receive at Bishop Verot,” said Mary Dakin, Bishop Verot’s National Honor Society co-moderator. “The parents and staff here at Bishop Verot should feel assured that what we are doing in the classroom, on the field and in our club activities is a winning formula.”
Jackman also explained that the students are eager to enroll for another quiz bowl.
“I just heard this morning that they have done some research and found out there is a National Quiz Bowl in Chicago sometime in January,” he said.