Jesuit strives to challenge thought and cultivate knowledge over various academic areas. However, this academic growth is not strictly confined to the classroom, evident through the many clubs Jesuit has to offer, such as the Quiz Bowl, where students apply their knowledge outside of the classroom setting and continue their intellectual growth.
The Quiz Bowl Club allows Jesuit students to compete against each other, as well as competitors across the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. This year, under the direction of Mr. Brandon Bub, the members of this club aim to go the distance and advance to the statewide Quiz Bowl competition.
The Quiz Bowl is not a new addition to the long list of extracurriculars Jesuit offers; it has previously existed and gone under the title of “Whiz Quiz,” and competed in similar regional tournaments. However, Mr. Bub has helped the club transition from the Whiz Quiz organization to the nationally recognized Quiz Bowl tournament. This organization incorporates schools nationwide to participate in a head to head competition to answer questions over all areas of life, including but not limited to history, math, science, fine arts, pop culture, literature, and sports.
Mr. Bub, a former Whiz Quiz captain during his time at Jesuit, has coached and helped his Quiz Bowl team to prepare for competitions, and is fully aware of the challenge participants face when having to draw obscure facts and trivia from all areas of academic and popular culture. “The Quiz Bowl… is close to an academic decathlon” he says. “Pretty much everything is evaluated in [the Quiz Bowl].”
Each week, members of this club meet and practice questions similar to those they will encounter in their competitions. In addition to reviewing and learning new trivia, they also replicate the fast paced, high stakes situations they are likely to encounter. Jaibin Mathew ’19, a new addition to the Quiz Bowl team, enjoys the exciting yet enjoyable aspect of the team. “[The Quiz Bowl] is exciting because you’re racing against one another for the right answers. This club is honestly a great time with some nail biting and laugh out loud moments.”
Members of the club have expressed their appreciation for the intellectual yet entertaining quality the team exudes. “It’s a group of very intelligent guys who are interested in expanding their knowledge in all topics,” says Mathew ’19.
Mr. Bub also commented on the challenges his team will have to overcome in order to make it to the higher level competitions. While Quiz Bowl is a national organization, he acknowledged that Texas has a “particularly large presence in the Quiz Bowl.” With stiff competition from schools such as Greenhill, Cistercian, and St. Mark’s, Mr. Bub hopes that his team can move past the local level they have competed at in the past and face off at the regional and statewide levels. Looking forward, Mr. Bub and other members have high expectations, and are aiming to reach those higher level competitions. As they go forward, they have their hopes set high to the top and their hands set low to their buzzers.
