Turn on your TV, grab your popcorn and switch to channel GHB-2 because the Quiz Bowl team is going on television!

The Quiz Bowl club is led by seniors Charlotte Stokes, Owen Eskey, Cole Moody and Raza Ali. They represent Brookline High Quiz Bowl when they go on TV on Feb. 25 on GBH.

All four Quiz Bowl members who will be going on TV said they are very excited about the upcoming experience. Moody and Ali said they are a little nervous, but the club has been preparing both individually and together.

Quiz Bowl meets after school every Monday and during faculty collaboration on Wednesdays. Stokes said the club is a very low commitment and members can come whenever they feel like it.

The club is available to any student at the high school and provides a friendly and non-competitive space where participants play trivia, practice teamwork and answer interesting questions.

Stokes said that it can be intimidating to join the club at first, but once students do, it’s very fun.

“We like to joke around,” Stokes said. “A lot of the questions are very weird and funny.”

Ali said that Quiz Bowl is a perfect space for those looking for a place to find community and friends.

“It’s just a fun place to be around,” Ali said. “I didn’t know anything, I didn’t answer any questions when I first went there, but I made friends and it was nice.”
Stokes said at meetings, Quiz Bowl members read packets in order to practice trivia games and try to answer questions.

“We don’t have fancy buzzers at the meetings, but we just like bang on the tables and yell when we know the answer,” Stokes said.

Moody said that Quiz Bowl has taught him the importance of dedicating your time to things if you want to see improvements.

“Besides from all the random facts that I now know, it builds discipline,” Moody said. “It taught me that if you want to get good, you have to improve outside of school and dedicate your time.”

Eskey said that Quiz Bowl has helped him with raising his confidence and getting out of his comfort zone.

“Being able to answer questions and put myself out there can be intimidating,” Eskey said. “I’m not a very social person by nature, so I would say it has given me more self-esteem and confidence.”

Stokes said that one of the challenges of running Quiz Bowl is moving towards creating a balance between girls and boys in the club.

“I’m working on making this a more gender-inclusive space instead of just a bunch of guys,” Stokes said. Last meeting we had five girls, which I was actually very proud of. If you’re reading this article, and you’re a woman, you should come to Quiz Bowl. I promise it’s not that scary, it’s so cool to be a woman and in Quiz Bowl.”

Eskey said that at their more recent meetings, Quiz Bowl has been studying more intensely to practice being on TV, such as learning the buzzer systems.

Stokes said that she has recently gotten creative with her approach to studying to go on TV. According to Stokes, taking mental notes on previous High School Quiz Show streamed TV episodes is not only a fun way to study, but an educational one too.

“I’ve been watching a bunch of old episodes of High School Quiz Show and attempting to get the answers before the contestants on the show, which sometimes works and sometimes does not,” Stokes said.