By Eric Stevick
Herald Writer
SNOHOMISH — Years from now, perhaps at a Snohomish High School reunion, David Freeburg and Sarah Sieloff may find themselves discussing parts of the liver or the names of salt marshes in Algeria and Turkey.
Their brains were saturated with thousands of seemingly obscure facts Wednesday as Snohomish High School claimed the 24-team Everett Community College Hi-Q academic championship.
"We constantly quizzed each other," Sieloff said of the eight-member academic team.
"Now, how do you begin to forget some of these facts?" Freeburg said.
As it turned out, there were no questions about salt marshes in Algeria or the anatomy of the liver, but Snohomish’s all-senior team did display an impressive grasp of history, geography, current events, literature, math and the sciences.
They knew, for instance: Eugene V. Debs was the Socialist Party presidential candidate who received 920,000 votes in 1920; independent assortment is the process during meiosis that results in the random combinations of parental chromosomes; and Queen Margaret was the character whom Queen Elizabeth asks to teach her how to curse her enemies in Shakespeare’s "Richard III."
Snohomish earned 46 points to finish ahead of Meadowdale and Monroe high schools, which tallied 41 and 33 points, respectively. Meadowdale improved over last year’s third place finish, while Monroe made it back to the three-team finals with six sophomores, a junior and just one senior.
Snohomish narrowly missed advancing to the Hi-Q finals a year ago but earned more points than any other school during its three-meet regular season. That distinction allowed the close-knit team to host the finals and perform before friends and classmates who clearly admired their abilities.
Patricia Bond, a Snohomish High teacher who is the Hi-Q adviser, said her team was eager to improve on last year’s showing.
"There was an incredible feeling of togetherness and compatibility," she said. "They worked so hard together and studied constantly."
For some students, the Hi-Q competition is one of several academic endeavors that stretch beyond the regular school day. This month, Matt Lawless was part of a Science Olympiad team that advanced from regional to state competition, and he led a regional Junior Classical League convention of 350 Latin students.
Other members of the Snohomish team are David Baker, Katherine Geis, Aimee Meyer, Sarah Nelson and Dustin Brekke.
Meadowdale’s team included Sandra Kim, Derek Jensen, Mike Rhodes, Eric Johnson, Janny Hu, Lu Jiang and Conner Peretti.
Monroe was represented by Virginia Deal, Jennifer Hartman, Jillian Griffith, Bethany Ojalehto, Patrick Gunning, John Heyde, Jon Seitel and Michael Wheatley.
Hi-Q has been called the grandfather of all academic quiz competitions. It has been around 54 years, about half that time in Washington state, making it the oldest continuous quiz competition for high school students in the nation. EvCC took over local sponsorship in recent years.
In winning the championship, Snohomish High School received a $1,000 check from the Snohomish County PUD.
You can call Herald Writer Eric Stevick at 425-339-3446 or send e-mail to stevick@heraldnet.com.
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