Knowledge Bowl at Owatonna has kicked off. The team has already competed in three meets and is preparing for its fourth. Senior DJ Chatelaine, one of the longest serving members, has been in Knowledge Bowl since his freshman year. Knowledge Bowl is an academic competition that combines multiple academic disciplines. Chatelaine said it helps him, “Stay up to date on current events and helps broaden his knowledge.” Knowledge Bowl usually involves teams of four to six students trying to answer questions in one written round and several oral rounds. The team has to work together to get the question right. DJ compares it to “Jeopardy for high school students”. The students try to buzz in first and answer as many questions correctly as possible.

The questions are not easy however, the competition takes some of the best and brightest students from high schools around Minnesota and faces them against their peers. The competition is also very hard to study for. When asked about how he studies Chatelaine said, “It’s a culmination of things you learn in school over the years and just practicing every week.” He also plays a home jeopardy game on top of that. There is not a clear cut way to study except read and try to soak up general knowledge. When asked about his favorite memories in knowledge bowl he said, “Going to state in Brainerd and the fun two hour long bus rides to Western Minnesota.” The team aspires to get to the state tournament again this year and their second and third place finishes in the first meets are a great start to a hopefully successful season.