By Michael Beeli
Staff Writer
In past years, teams who signed up for Scholar Quiz, the school’s scholastic competition, were given priority based on grade level, but this year, sign-ups are on a first come, first serve basis. This change is a step in the right direction in making Scholar Quiz more fair for students, but, through the implementation of play-in rounds, the competition could become as just and inclusive for grade levels as possible.
According to Costa Parent Teacher Student Association President Sandi Gleason, the sign-up process has been changed so that students can create the best team they think is necessary, regardless of grade level.
The fact that spots in this year’s Scholar Quiz will be determined based on the order in which students arrive to sign up improves the quality of the competition, as it helps ensure that the teams who sign up are the most serious and dedicated to the competition.
According to senior Samantha Banchik, seniors should be guaranteed a spot in Scholar Quiz. Although it is the seniors’ last Scholar Quiz, it is not fair to give them priority over certain students in other grades who may spend more time preparing.
Although the new sign-up system is a major improvement, utilizing play-in rounds would help ensure that it is even more just for students. Play-in rounds take place before the actual Scholar Quiz rounds and are only implemented when the organizers mistakingly sign up more than 64 teams and need to decide which teams are allowed in. Play-in rounds are still the same format as a normal Scholar Quiz round.
Instead of only utilizing play-in rounds when there is a mistake, the school should take the first 54 teams on a first come, first serve basis, then allow all other teams to compete in play-in rounds, which would last for one day, for the final 10 spots in the Scholar Quiz competition. These rounds would allow for more students to compete while still ensuring that the competitive rigor is maintained.
According to Gleason, a potential issue with the implementation of play-in rounds is that finding days where students will not be occupied with other activities and supplying a sufficient amount of volunteers to head the rounds may be difficult. However, because these rounds would only require one day to complete, finding a sufficient amount of volunteers and a free day for students should not be as tough to manage.
The new Scholar Quiz sign-up process is a more fair system that allows for a more rigorous competition. However, through the utilization of play-in rounds, the process could be improved to give more students the opportunity they deserve to compete.
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