What do trapezoids, John Steinbach, the Greek character Pentheus, the Troposhere and Prime Minister Tony Brown have in common?
They are answers that Gene L. Klida Utica Academy for International Studies students can retrieve in seconds – even before actual question is fully asked.
The students are part of the GLK-UAIS Quiz Bowl team, which is undefeated in Michigan competitions and poised to make a run at national titles over the next few weeks.
“We have always had a solid team here since our first year, but this is easily our most successful team,” said Advisor William Dobbie. “They are pretty much the high water mark in Michigan and one of the best nationally.”
Led by captain senior Brendan Pawlicki and Sophomore Benjamin Edmunds, the team has already taken home two tournament championships, hosted its own tournament, and is undefeated in the local MAC League regular season. UAIS is currently ranked #35 in the nation by Groger Ranks.
“We have an outstanding team of advisors supporting us and our student body is excited about our success,” said Pawlicki.
Quiz bowl allows student teams to compete head-to-head to answer questions from all areas of knowledge, including history, literature, science, fine arts, current events, popular culture, sports, geographic, and history. Students use a “buzzer system” that lets them interrupt the reading of a question when they know the answer.
“The best way to describe it is that it is like Jeopardy, but you don’t have to wait until the end of the question. You can interrupt at any time,” Pawlicki said.
Edmunds said he competes in quiz bowl as an outlet to build more knowledge about a wide variety of topics.
“I like to think of topics that come up and research them,” he said.
The team has been practicing twice a week together for the entire school year and team members have worked individually at home.
Pawlicki said his participation has led to him being interested in subjects that he would not normally study, such as opera. After learning more, he became a volunteer at the Detroit Opera House.
“There are so many concepts I have learned about in chemistry, history and fine arts that I would not have known otherwise,” he said.
The team’s success also stems from the unique nature of the International Baccalaureate Programme offered at GLK-UAIS, Pawlicki and Edmunds said. The IB Profile for students has several characteristics that mirror a successful quiz bowl students, such as inquirers, Knowledgeable and risk taker.
“I think the success reflects the well-rounded nature of the curriculum that we offer here,” Dobbie said.
