An Inside Look on Quiz Bowl’s Four Superstar Seniors
Brain Power: Seniors Quint Gfroerer, Jake Churchill, Ishaan Ghosh and Devon Gates stand together after their 2018 championship win on the High Q academic game show as a part of the Academic Quiz Bowl. They are shown here with APS board member Cynthia Briscoe Brown (far left) and Nancy Hunter, Quiz Bowl team faculty adviser.
A tightly-knit group of seniors currently makes up North Atlanta’s own Academic Quiz Bowl team. This intelligent cohort is made up of Quint Gfroerer, Jake Churchill, Devon Gates and Ishaan Ghosh. These students participate in intense, televised quiz bowl tournaments that test their brain power and challenge them with difficult trivia questions. These four seniors represent North Atlanta through their quick thinking, hard work and dedication to their team and this school.
The team goes way back to the “dark ages” of middle school at Sutton, when their 7th grade science teacher, Ms. Morgan, convinced them to join the middle school academic team. Playing together for so long has allowed the team to develop a unique chemistry with one another. “We all have our role on the team,” said senior Jake Churchill.” We aren’t always the most serious compared to other teams but it makes it that much more enjoyable to compete.”
The stakes are high for the quiz bowl team. WSB Channel 2 local news helps to broadcast North Atlanta’s intense match-ups with other nearby schools in a game show called High Q. One of the team’s biggest accomplishments was taking home the trophy as the quiz bowl champions during the 2018 season and winning the prize money of $5,000 in college funds. Their numerous accomplishments can be seen in the trophy case on the fourth floor math hall. “It can get pretty nerve-racking playing on live TV,” said Gfroerer. “But it’s cool how so many people and my friends can watch it.”
For this year’s campaign, the reigning champs are already off to a strong start. This brainiac bunch started off with a win and crushed Sequoia High by the dominating score of 725 to 345. How to keep up the “High Q game”? The team practices once a week, member read voraciously, and they do all they can do to keep up on current events. “Getting a question right always gives you an adrenaline rush,” said Churchill. “We have a lot of inside jokes which makes academic bowl always a fun experience.”
So next time you’re watching TV, be sure to tune in to WSB – Channel 2 news to watch North Atlanta take home the gold. After all, they deserve some recognition for all of the hard work and brain power they pour into North Atlanta each and every day. They’ve been together for so long, so now it’s time to make their last year count. Go High Q Dubs!
