The Quiz Bowl’s year began with the search for a new coach after Katherine Brown, the tenure coach, stepped down. Brown retired two years ago, and although last year she wanted to continue to coach, her schedule made this an impossible feat.

After an email was sent out to the staff, teachers Melissa Kevonian and Jonathan Pete quickly stepped up to take over the competitive team.

“I coached for seven years before Mrs. Brown,” Kevonian said. “Mr. Pete and I are glad to have such good kids.”

Quiz Bowl is a club that allows students to compete against other high schools in a game-show atmosphere. Each school is allowed to have four players, and as questions are asked, the team must buzz in the correct answer to earn points.

In quiz bowl competitions, teams must answer two types of questions: toss-up questions and bonus questions. Bonus Questions are awarded after a player correctly answers a toss-up question.

“Teams are allowed to choose one captain per round,” junior first-year member Magnus Reyes said. “Depending on the topic of each round, a specific person is picked as the captain to lead the team.”

This year’s team has increased its membership, including more students from all grade levels.

“As a sophomore, I knew that I wanted to be involved in various groups in high school,” sophomore Vita Simmons said. “I went on the Utica website, and when I read about Quiz Bowl, I knew it was something I was interested in. My dad knows a lot of trivial facts, so I thought this club would be fun.”

Quiz Bowl runs throughout the majority of the school year, ending in late April.

“This is my first year in Quiz Bowl,” Reyes said. “I have learned a lot from this experience and these people and I cannot wait to see what is to come.”

The team is looking forward to matches, particularly against rival schools.

“I am excited for the upcoming competition against Stevenson,” senior Shalenah Ivey said. “We are always right on par with them, and I want to see if we can beat them this year.”