The GHS academic teams will be competing in the 2024 Indiana Academic Super Bowl (IASB) Senior Division on Tuesday, April 16th in the afternoon-evening, as part of the area competition at Merrillville High School. Teams will be competing in the subjects of English, math, social studies, science, and fine arts.
The middle school will also be participating in the Academic Bowl as part of the junior division. They will compete on April 27th at Clifford Pierce Middle School. The theme and subjects will be the same, although the fine arts round is exclusive to the senior division.
The theme for this year’s competition is based on events pertaining to the 1980’s and 1990’s. The reference materials for English include The House on Mango Street (1984), Dead Poets Society (1989), and poetry. The questions for the social studies round derive from Restless Giant (2005). Music and visual arts are the focuses for the fine arts round, and the science team is studying nuclear science, interplanetary space, and biology. Math will focus on secondary-level topics as usual.
The high school coaches are as follows: Ms. Berzy for English, Mrs. Brunk for math, Mr. Pickett for social studies, Mr. Farnell for science, and Mrs. Pramuk for fine arts.
All of Griffith’s teams are at full attendance. Overall, there will be sixteen students representing our school.
The Indiana Academic Super Bowl, founded in 1987, is sponsored by the Indiana Association of School Principals (IASP). Its goal is to enhance students’ fields of knowledge and promote a wide range of learning. Each year, students delve into topics which change every competition, and explore material which would not otherwise be covered in the classroom.
There is no nationally organized academic competition in the United States. The IASB is an event exclusive to Indiana, so the only rounds are invitational, area, and state. However, other regions may host an academic competition that is exclusive to their area.
The Academic Super Bowl has deep history within Griffith. Mr. Pickett said that he took on the position from a retiring teacher when he was hired here 32 years ago, so Griffith has been involved in the IASB for over three decades. Pickett also stated that not many changes have taken place within the competition or at Griffith since then.
The teams have done fairly well over the years and have even gone to the state competition a few times.
Mrs. Brunk, who is also the coordinator for the competition, remarked on a positive experience this season. “I really enjoyed working with the students and revisiting topics I had both taught and not taught.”
The 2024 IASB is coming to an end, but there will be many more opportunities to participate in the future. The callouts for both middle school and high school usually take place around December/January, and anybody can join. To support Griffith’s academics teams, all you need to do is talk to one of the coaches, and you’ll be a part of the competition season.
