The anticipated second annual “Are you smarter than a freshman?” competition was a hard-fought battle to the finish, as the teachers put together a 13-11 win over their freshmen opponents on Apr. 7, in front of the packed quad steps.
First-year teacher Brian Ellis was confident going into the event.
“Now that I know the questions are going to be about actual school curriculum, I’m pretty confident going into this. I was a good student, so I should be fine. The freshmen aren’t going to know what hit them.”
MC’d by senior Tristan Gasperian, the event started off close, with the two teams tied after four questions thanks to Ellis’ correct answer to a question about Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution.
The next question gave the teacher’s the lead, as none of the freshmen, to the entertainment of the crowd, were able to name the turf field behind them (Bruce Usher Stadium).
In the next five rounds, the scored remained within one, as questions ranged from King Tut to Homer’s play, “The Odyssey.”
“We (ASB) picked the questions based off mostly what we learned in freshman year,” said sophomore and ASB member Jacob Segal. “We tried to make it as even as possible for both sides.”
On the eleventh question the freshmen’s hopes for a comeback were crushed, as the teachers were able to name all four members of The Beatles, as well as John Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono. Laughter followed when it was revealed the only answer the freshmen submitted was “Beyonce.”
Freshman Daniel Wehara said, “We poured our hearts into this competition, but questions about things before our time such as The Beatles question hurt us in the end.”
After the teachers secured their victory, many students reflected on the event.
Sophomore Chris Lovelace said, “I definitely felt this event was more entertaining last year, but this wasn’t bad at all. I think the whole “Are you smarter than a freshman?” concept is clever.
Segal said, “I also feel the event went a little better entertainment-wise last year, but now we can see how to make it better for next year.”
Bathing in his team’s victory, Ellis said, “I didn’t expect anything less.”
