Academic Team takes school by storm with trivia

The Academic Team works together in the fall tournament to bring the team to a victory.

McNicholas High School’s Academic Team’s season has begun with weekly practices as well as competitions, just like every other team in the school.

The Academic Team, open for all grade levels, practices once a week in coach Ms. Julie Muething’s room, with matches every Tuesday at Cincinnati State. Muething co-coaches the team with Ms. Michelle Semancik.

“It’s kind of like playing Jeopardy on a team, and we compete against other Catholic schools each week. A team of four students answer questions and if our team answers more than the other school, we win,” Muething said.

Just like any other sports team they have a Varsity and JV team. The varsity team includes Jackson Durm, Jarrod Roetenberger, Mary Kate Dowling-Parra, and Matt Taylor. The JV teams consists of Jared Taylor, Elizabeth Beck, Carey Heekin, Gabe Sander, Daniel English, Seth Roetenberger, and Seon Jin Kim.

“There is always something funny happening, and most people wouldn’t think that Academic Team is fun, but I think that the team is always finding different ways to bond,” Beck said.

Muething and Semancik, who are in their sixth year leading the team, said they would both love for more people be a part of the team or to come and cheer the team on during their matches. Not only do they have experience as coaches but as players as well since both were members of the Academic Team when they were students at McNick.

“I was on the Academic Team in high school, and I loved it. When the former head coach retired, I was happy to step in and help take her place with help from Ms. Semancik,” Muething said.

According to the players and coaches, the team really has something for everyone, so students shouldn’t feel like they aren’t good enough to join. The trivia-type questions cover math, English, the arts, and many other categories, so everyone is able to find an area of expertise.

“This is my first year doing Academic Team, and my favorite part about it is going to the matches because they are always entertaining and the team has a lot of fun together,” Heekin said.

For more information about the Academic Team, contact one of the coaches or players, or follow their twitter page for updates on the team, as well as their schedule.