Bellows Free Academy offers a wide range of extracurricular teams that students can join. While most students make a varsity sports team, others can use their trivia and academic knowledge in a different way by participating in Scholar’s Bowl, advised by BFA teachers Chris Moore and Nate Archambault.

Scholars’ Bowl is an academic competition within Vermont high schools that has seen growth in the past years. Many more BFA students are joining the club to the point where multiple BFA teams are being made. 

 “I think word has gotten out that Scholars’ Bowl is a great place for students to have fun in a mentally challenging environment. Scholars’ Bowl celebrates knowledge and learning for its own sake, and I believe there are many students at BFA who embrace that ethos,” Moore said. 

The low-pressure environment and the competition being friendly were some of the reasons why students joined Scholar’s Bowl.

One student who enjoys Scholar’s Bowl is Jacob Holmes (‘22). “I just really liked the idea of sitting down and doing trivia for a couple hours every week,” Holmes said. “There is no pressure to be perfect, and you don’t need to be a super nerd to be good at the game.” 

Answering trivia is not just contained within BFA however. BFA’s Scholars’ Bowl team competes not only against each other but at different schools as well. Their next competition is Jan. 7. at 4:15 p.m. at Champlain Valley Union High School.

With that said, students interested in participating in Scholars’ Bowl are able to join at any time, with “participation in [the] various tournaments partially based on a student’s commitment to the team,” Moore said. 

Meetings are every Wednesday and Thursday from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in room A202.

“If you like trivia, then I would recommend dropping in to one of our practices; we are very welcoming to newcomers.” says Holmes (‘22).