Nestled in the cozy little theater, students and staff filed in, eager to watch their fellow peers battle it out in this year’s annual teacher vs. student knowledge bowl competition, Thur. April 17.
The two teams, one composed of teachers represented by team captain and Buena librarian Joel Levin, and the other made up of miscellaneous knowledge bowl members, led by team captain and senior Solana Warren, each consist of five contestants, all racing to buzz in before the other and rack up the most points to gain the ultimate prize of bragging rights.
After Knowledge Bowl advisor Andrew Coates welcomed the audience and explained the rules, the competition buzzed off.
The teachers, although decorated with degrees, were challenged by their students, and remained neck and neck for most of the game. Points were thrown back and forth with little room for mistakes.
“[The teachers] have decades of experience, however [the students’ wits made us feel] like we were just lucky to hit the buzzer fast enough,” Levin said.
As the most attended event of the knowledge bowl season, the crowd was buzzing, laughing and cheering when their teachers slipped up and their fellow students prevailed, attempting to answer the questions as well.
“We have a lot of fun, the audience has a lot of fun, and it’s fun to be in a competition where your teachers are your equals,” Warren said.
The first round came to a tight close with a teacher victory, 125-100.
With a new set of teachers and students, the second round kicked off and the teachers quickly pulled ahead. “[Winning] is a chance for teachers to earn some street credibility to show off to their students,” Levin said.
In contrast to the previous round, the questions were tougher, and there were frequent false buzz-ins and incorrect answers.
“I was the previous knowledge bowl coach, usually writing the questions and hosting the meet, so it was cool to experience the other side [as a competitor],” Levin said.
As the students crept closer to defeating the teachers, a final question would decide it all. The teachers, with quick reflexes, narrowly out-buzzed the students, and took the win for themselves, ending the round 205-145.
Although the students lost, the teacher vs. student knowledge bowl collected lots of interest from Buena students, ensuring a full team of bright scholars for next year. In addition, the event brought the school together as a community, ultimately bridging the gap between teacher and student.
“We’re all at [school] to gain knowledge and to be more informed.” Coates said. “[Knowledge Bowl] is just a fun, low-stakes way to show off [what you know].”
