Buzz! Buzz! A buzzer echoes around the room as teams rush to solve problems and answer questions in a trivia style match. Academic team is a team activity done nationwide across many grade levels. It involves Quick Recall (QR), a fast paced game of trivia, where players race to answer a question accurately and efficiently. Team members can also take tests on various subject areas, such as Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, Math, and Arts and Humanities. They can also write argumentative essays for written composition, or draft solution plans in Future Problem Solvers (FPS). The Greenwood Academic Team season has been going on since September, and so far they are having a record season. 

The team competed in Districts at the end of January with a “clean sweep” in quick recall according to the coach Mr. Spears. The FPS team placed second, writing about a futuristic space scene. Several testers including Ashlyn Johnson (12th grade) and Ethan Goodin (12th grade) placed in the top five, securing them a spot at this weekends’ Region competition. Johnson competes as both an arts and humanities tester and a quick recall member, while Goodin competes as a science tester, FPS member, and is part of the QR team. Team members had to brave last month’s “snowmeggadon” to make it to the competition, but they pushed through and came out successful. All three of our written composition writers placed in the top five, with a prompt about 3d-printed food and edible synthetic engineering technologies. 

In preparation for the upcoming region competition, the team is working hard to make sure they are as ready as possible. Johnson and Goodin are both studying hard and are looking forward to scrimmaging with other teams. Mr. Spears is working hard to organize these preparations saying it has been “hard to do with NTI,” but he is trying to organize scrimmages and alumni help. FPS recently met with an alumni from last year, who provided some helpful tips to improve their writing. Other alumni have helped the team throughout the year, showing the widespread support the team has even from those who have graduated. 

Expectations are high for Region as defending champions. When asked about how he expected the team to do, Mr. Spears simply said “win.” Johnson and Goodin echo a similar sentiment, hoping to win or to at least place in the top two. The main competition will likely be South Warren and Edmonson County, and the team has been working hard to be ready for those matches. FPS and Written Composition co

mpeted for region this past Monday, writing about video games and online anonymity respectively. Coming off of last year’s Region win and fourth place finish at State, the question remains as to if they can pull it off again. 

Outside of the main competitions (Governor’s Cup), the team has competed in a variety of other competitions throughout the year. For Johnson, one of the highlights of the season was winning the S.L.A.M.S competition, a new event where teams competed together on an exam that had multiple subject areas. The team won first out of a large number of schools, which is a huge achievement. The team has also competed in NAQT, a fast paced competition with bonuses and toss ups that focus more on pop culture. Recently, Greenwood qualified for NAQT nationals for the fourth year in a row which is quite the accomplishment. They will compete in nationals in May of this year in Atlanta, Georgia, where they will face over 300 teams. 

So far, the team has had a record season, and with just a few major competitions to go, they are finalizing their preparations. From region and state over the next month to NAQT nationals at the end of the year, the stakes are high, but the team seems ready to meet the upcoming challenge. As the season winds to a close will they be able to carry on last year’s successful legacy?