By Rebecca Tyra
Buford High School’s Accountability Report states that, “Excellence is not just an act; it is a habit.” For four students in the school’s Academic Bowl program, that statement rang particularly true as they prepared for their turn in the spotlight. These four team members were selected to represent Buford High School on WSB-TV’s “High Q” TV show on December 10th. The BHS “High Q” team is comprised of seniors Matt Purlee (team captain), Linus Davidson, Alex Shells, and Parth Purani.
Tim Harris is the advisor for the BHS Academic Bowl program, as well as an English teacher at the school, where he has been employed since 2003. The two Academic Bowl teams at BHS meet weekly and are open to any academically gifted students at the school.
Though the episode featuring Buford High School was taped on November 1st, Mr. Harris promises that it will be worth the wait to watch it. “It is an exciting contest — a real nail-biter,” he promises.
Currently hosted by WSB-TV meteorologist Katie Walls, “High Q” premiered in 1978 and is now in its 32nd season. According to the station’s website, each week two teams of four students representing Atlanta-area high schools face off against each other on the show. The teams compete in a game show format to correctly answer questions in the fields of history, math, literature, science, the arts and current events. The winning team advances to the next round.
The BHS team will go up against Carrollton High School, and the winner from that episode will proceed to the Round 2 of the competition, which will be held on March 10, 2018. After Round 2, there will be a set of semi-finals, before a championship showdown on May 12, 2018. The winning team members will walk away with scholarship money for their post-secondary educations.
The “High Q” episode featuring the BHS Academic Bowl team will air on Sunday, December 10th at 1 p.m.
