Walnut Hills captures third National Journalism Quiz Bowl win in Philadelphia
Students from Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, Ohio were named National Journalism Quiz Bowl champions on Nov. 9 at the Fall JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Convention in Philadelphia.
The winning team featured four students representing the WHHS Chatterbox, junior Violet Garitson and seniors Marwa Khzir, Emma Kim and Sarah Wilson. The team is advised by Samantha Gerwe-Perkins.
“This is my third time attending the convention,” Wilson said. “This is also my third time in Quiz Bowl, but we’ve never made it past the final eight before, so it was really exciting to win this time.”
“We did a lot of quizlets, and we quizzed each other,” Kim said when asked how her team prepared for Quiz Bowl. “Also, last night, we practiced buzzering. Our adviser asked us questions, and we would practice buzzing in.”
Marwa Khzir, Emma Kim, Sarah Wilson and Violet Garitson of the winning Walnut Hills High School team. Photo by Chris Waugaman.
To determine the initial seeding of the 43 competing teams, the teams of four students took an online qualifying test on Nov. 8. The next day, the top 16 qualifying teams met for rapid-fire buzzer rounds, answering questions pertaining to current events, American history, journalism law, media terminology and civics. The team that scored the highest of 10 questions proceeded to the next round and for the final round, the winner had to score the highest out of 20 questions.
The final matchup between Walnut Hills and Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida included 20 questions. At the outset of the competition, Walnut Hills was seeded seventh and challenger Dreyfoos was seeded first. The final score was Walnut Hills 7, Dreyfoos 6.
“It’s really exciting,” said Sienna Rose Sossi of the Dreyfoos runner-up team. “We studied and we came together as a team. It’s our group’s first time at NHSJC, so it was cool to run with the big dogs and place well.”
“It was definitely nerve racking, but I think we had a really great time and I think it made us closer as friends when we were studying,” Dreyfoos team member Ellie Symons said.
“It’s something I’m always going to remember and I can’t wait to come back next year,” added Dreyfoos team member Graeme Melcher.
Aiden Velez, Graeme Melcher, Sienna Rose Sossi and Ellie Symons of the Dreyfoos School of the Arts runner-up team. Photo by Chris Waugaman.
This is the third time a Walnut Hills team has won Quiz Bowl with previous victories in fall 2018 in Chicago and fall 2019 in Washington, D.C. This year, Walnut Hills had two teams qualify for the live buzzer rounds of Quiz Bowl. The other Walnut Hills team was eliminated from the competition in the first live round of 16.
“This is my first time attending the national convention and my first time doing Quiz Bowl,” Walnut Hills-winning-team member Marwa Khzir said. “It was stressful. I was nervous, but overall, I think it was a great experience to learn from.”
Emma Kim of Walnut Hills High School, celebrating during the National Journalism Quiz Bowl finals in Philadelphia. Photo by Chris Waugaman.
Aiden Velez, Graeme Melcher and Sienna Rose Sossi of the Dreyfoos School of the Arts, celebrating during the Quiz Bowl finals. Photo by Chris Waugaman.
The 16 finalist teams:
Blake School, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Carlmont High School, Belmont, California
Cherry Hill (New Jersey) High School East #1
Cherry Hill (New Jersey) High School East #2
Cherry Hill (New Jersey) High School East #3
Cherry Hill (New Jersey) High School East #4
Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, West Palm Beach, Florida
duPont Manual High School, Louisville, Kentucky
Francis Howell North #1, Saint Charles, Missouri
Francis Howell North #2, Saint Charles, Missouri
Homestead High School, Cupertino, California
Redwood High School, Larkspur, California
Staples High School, Westport, Connecticut
The American School in London, England
Walnut Hills High School #1, Cincinnati, Ohio
Walnut Hills High School #2, Cincinnati, Ohio
Amber James