On Monday 26th January, HBS’s keenest quizzers flocked to the Main Hall for our nail-biting annual House University Challenge competition. The four teams were made up of one pupil from each of years 7-12, and the audience was packed with spectators ready to cheer on their house. We started with a geography round, where the contestants displayed an impressive knowledge of landmarks, flags, capitals and more, before moving on to a languages and literature round. This included first lines of classic novels and word derivations, with questions including the origins of ‘symphony’ and ‘safari’.
An impressive musical knowledge was displayed in the music round; this was followed by a gruelling maths round which forced the contestants to think on their feet with only one minute to answer each question. The final two rounds were history and science, with high-stakes bonus questions which allowed the winning team to edge into the lead. Hazel ultimately came first with 160 points, followed closely by Rowan with 150. The teams from Maple and Willow also put on an admirable performance. But this was just the beginning.
The following Tuesday, 3rd February, the winning Hazel team made their way to the Main Hall once more to face a formidable opponent: a team of HBS teachers. Many thanks to Dr Amon, Mrs Graff, Mr Graff, Mr Haigh, Ms Morris and Mr Supperstone for participating in what proved to be an extremely heated and tense showdown.
With significantly harder questions designed to stretch the contestants to the limit, it was all to play for. Additional rounds on sport and art and culture, as well as some demanding questions on global currency, translation of book titles, and guessing a decade using its key events led to some extremely tight calls with a matter of seconds between the teams pressing the buzzers. The large audience watched with bated breath to see who would take the crown – and it was the teachers! Having got off to a strong start in the initial geography round, they kept their lead and won by 340 points to 270, as the Hazel team refused to go down without a fight.
Both events exemplified the curiosity, teamwork and ambition which HBS is known for, and we’re so grateful to everyone who took part and came to watch – it was such a joy for the Head Prefect team to host this year’s challenges. Many thanks also to Mrs Walker and Mr Cain for their roles in facilitating and setting up the event. Good luck to next year’s competitors!
Milly B, Year 13