The Strath Haven Hi-Q team hosted Radnor and Penncrest for the first Hi-Q match of the regular season on Tuesday, December 3. The final score was 57 points for Strath Haven, 46 for Penncrest, and 44 for Radnor.
Director of STEM Teaching, Learning, and Innovation and soon-to-be Strath Haven High School Principal, Mr. Andrew Benzing, welcomed the competitors and recognized their dedication, intellect, and perseverance. He also introduced the Strath Haven Silvertones, who sang the national anthem before the competition.
Mr. Rick Durante, the Hi-Q Quizmaster and director of Delco Hi-Q, was responsible for asking the questions during the competition. According to Durante, there are 21 Hi-Q competitions for each regular season. Each team competes three times during the regular season and the top seven teams qualify for playoffs.
“It was very competitive for all three teams. If [the teams] do as well as they did today they’ll definitely be in the playoffs,” Durante said.
Physics teacher Bill Rothenbach advises Hi-Q and said he has seen one of the team’s best starts in his 20-plus years as the adviser.
“As the season goes on and we have more time to practice, the students will be even more phenomenal than they are now. I keep my fingers crossed that we will qualify for the postseason competitions,” he said.
The team practices their material once a week during fifth block on Wednesdays in room 309. The average competitor spends four to six hours a week outside of school preparing for the competitions.
“Since they’re all above average, they are probably spending more time than that preparing, and we’re always recruiting,” Rothenbach said.
Senior and Hi-Q co-captain Jaden Hunter is responsible for the questions regarding sports history and current events. Because it was only the first round of competition, some questions were easier to answer.
“I think everyone did incredibly well. It was clear that everyone studied their hearts out and I’m just excited for the next competition,” Hunter said.
Delco Hi-Q is the oldest continuous academic quiz competition in the U.S., according to their website. The contests got their start in 1948, and are now sponsored by the Delaware County Intermediate Unit in cooperation with Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union.
Hi-Q will compete in their next competition, hosted by Chichester, against Chichester and Academy Park on Thursday, January 23.
