Scholastic Bowl
Mason Ups District Record to 9 – 0;
Looks Towards Districts, Regionals,
‘ It’s Academic’

 By Margaret Lipman (January 5, 2006)

The Scholastic Bowl team upped its winning streak to an undefeated 9 – 0 last night in their third district -- and only home match -- of the season.  After their next match Monday at Clarke County, the team will be going on to Districts and setting its sights on participating in the Regional and State competitions.  Three members of the team will also be representing GM on the television show “It’s Academic,” at a taping on January 14. The program will be broadcast in March on ABC television.

Mason easily defeated its first two opponents of the night; Round One, against Manassas Park, resulted in a score of 255 to 70.  Round Two, against Strasburg, resulted in a final score of 280 to 60.  Mason faced its toughest game of the season in Round Three, however, against Clarke County.  It was a close match until Mason recovered from its slow start and cleaned up nicely with a score of 220 to 140.       

The team was led by juniors Matt Peppe, Margaret Lipman, and David Maher; sophomore Peter Davis; and senior Bjorn Westergard, with coach Jamie Scharff and other members of the team watching and encouraging the competitors from the audience. IB Coordinator Brian Dickson and French teacher Linda Johnsen served as “Quizmasters” for the meet.  The teams answered questions on topics ranging from Idi Amin, Mt.Aconcagua, John Wesley, and the pulmonary artery to the Bourbon Dynasty, Wayne Gretzky, Jonas Salk, pulsars, Millard Fillmore, and binary numbers.  Unfortunately, this impressive display didn’t save the team the embarrassment of missing a rather easy question on NFL quarterback Peyton Manning.  But save for this “shameful mistake” (according to some spectators, at least), the team is certainly well on its way to success in the District and Regional competitions.