By Isabella Ying
If you’ve been paying attention during Tuesday Morning Meetings, you may have noticed Ms. Scott repeatedly encouraging Lovett Upper School Students to join the Academic Team. This may lead you to wonder two things: ‘Should I join?’ or ‘Did anyone actually join?’
Ms. Scott can answer those questions for you, and the answers to both of them are the same: yes, absolutely!
She suspects that there are several reasons why people are drawn to the team. “It’s an engaging and productive time to be with their friends, and for others, I think it’s a time to learn and grow in a different setting than what they’re used to,” she said. So while ‘Academic’ is a part of the activity’s title, it is a lot more fun than it sounds.
And for others? “I think they just like being right and showing how smart they are.”
Sophomore Annabel White is one such student who likes being right. Annabel joined the Academic Team because “some of my friends wanted to do it with me, and we thought it would be a fun way to get to know some random information and to practice thinking on our feet.”
So far, she’s taken a lot of good things away from Academic Team. For example, “it’s definitely made me more aware, and I’m paying attention to little details that I might need for Academic Team.” Since Annabel’s dad is a “history person,” when he talks about historical facts, she makes sure to remember them now!
This paid off, as she was able to get two questions correct about history during practice. “I’m not gonna forget those questions ever, because I was so happy when I got them,” she promised.
Then she proceeded to recall the two questions perfectly: “What Empire preceded the Abbasids? It was the Umayyads.” Then, “What ship sank to start World War I, partially? It was the Lusitania.”
The entire team is comprised of underclassmen, but in contrast to last year’s team, many girls, like Annabel, are on the team, too—as a matter of fact, there are more girls than boys. Last year’s team was entirely senior boys.
This unique composition has required a shift in the team dynamic. Ms. Scott would like to build up the confidence of the females, as she has observed that the boys can dominate the environment, and the girls can be shy.
Ms. Scott has many ways of keeping everyone involved and having fun. “We’ll just use this hallway,” she said, pointing down the third-floor hallway, “as a run to the end and back and then answer a question. If you get it wrong, run to the end and back until we get one right.” I grimaced at that. It’s quite a long hallway.
Because the team members are in ninth and tenth grade, Ms. Scott believes that the team will build a strong camaraderie over the next few years.
Additionally, she noted that while “freshmen and sophomores are still kind of green in the knowledge department,” the team has a lot of potential because they “are the most curious people and the most willing to take the time to learn outside of the classroom.”
And Ms. Scott is a strong advocate for learning. “It’s really cool to be a nerd, so I want you guys to feel safe in a space where you can just be yourself and not be afraid to answer questions right or wrong.”
Going into the season, Ms. Scott had a few goals: “to get a team first and foremost. So check one off for that. We have indeed got a team,” she said, referring to the team’s surprising size.
Annabel acknowledges that the team has room to grow, but just like Ms. Scott, she believes in its potential, especially because the team can laugh off their mistakes without judgment.
As a matter of fact, she was so enthusiastic about the team she thought she sounded like a cheerleader. But that’s just a part of being on the team, which Annabel would describe in three words: “fun, focused, and energetic.” Whenever someone gets an answer correct, everyone celebrates together.
They’re all “lovely human beings,” according to Annabel, who “normally don’t know the answers to a lot of really random questions.”
If you would like to join, the team meets every Tuesday and Wednesday during lunch in Ms. Scott’s room, room 301.
