In the much anticipated first meet of the 71st season of the Delco Hi-Q competition, Haverford High School’s Hi-Q team kicked off strongly against Penncrest and Interboro on Tuesday, December 4.  With three returning members – Andrew Borbi, June Park, and Evan Peetros – and seven new members – Tyler Ea, Sophie Helfer, Ian Kratzinger, Lauren McAdams, Gina Ngo, Brian Walheim, and Emma Whittaker – the Hi-Q team aims to defend the championship title that they have held for two consecutive years.  

Haverford’s score was 44, compared to Penncrest’s 37 and Interboro’s 26.  Haverford aims to accumulate enough points to make it to the semi-finals and championship in 2019.  

Because Haverford’s team is comprised of mostly new members this year, teamwork and trust in one another were the predominant components of success in the first meet.  Senior Andrew Borbi, a member of Hi-Q said, “Considering that this was the first time 80% of our team was on stage for an actual meet, I don’t think it could have gone better.  Winning the championship two years in a row provides more motivation for us to win this year. We have a very bright group, and I believe we can go very far.”

The team is split into halves, each of which studies various topics.  The first half consists of topics such as current events, geography, and biology, while the second half consists of topics such as art history, world history, and American government.  In preparation for this first round of competition, members maximized their study sessions through repetition of practicing questions and employing a “divide and conquer” method when studying topics in their respective halves.  

Being part of the Hi-Q team not only challenges members to balance learning new material on their own while also staying on top of their classes and assignments, but it also benefits them in many ways.  Much of the content in the assigned topics correlate to the material taught in their classes, such as AP Government or AP Environmental Science, which provide extra sources when studying for both Hi-Q and tests in their classes.  

Sophomore Emma Whittaker, a member of the Hi-Q team, added, “I think that the meet went as everyone hoped it would, and the team is really excited to continue the season.  For a bunch of newcomers, it’s rewarding to be able to do well this soon against very challenging competition. With that said, everyone I’ve met this year on the Haverford Hi-Q team is extremely talented and hardworking, so I am expecting great things to come.”

The academic enthusiasm among members of the Hi-Q team has remained evident, and the joy of perpetual learning has motivated the members to work diligently in the effort to achieve victory in their competitions.  The Hi-Q team is looking forward to competing against Valley Forge and Sun Valley in their upcoming meet on January 7 at Haverford High School.