Carbondale Community High School (CCHS) has been a undefeated Scholastic Hi-Q champion for years. Scholastic Hi-Q is a locally filmed program at WSIU, a publicly broadcasted television station held in Carbondale Illinois owned by the local university host a show that showcases high school teams across Southern Illinois, Kentucky, and some teams from Missouri. Scholastic Hi-Q is an academic based game involving questions from over fourteen high school subjects.
CCHS has had a long winning streak within Hi-Q of up to ten years. According to Adam Kiefer, a senior at SIUC and a Scholastic Hi-Q crew member for four years, “I think Carbondale has a desire to uphold a sense of hometown pride.” Kiefer continued to state, “I’ve seen the same kids on the Carbondale team for years, and they’re very impressive. Carbondale is probably the school that is most aware of Scholastic Hi-Q as a show, and i think that drives them to do well. It’s local. Their families are here, and I guarantee they all tune in to watch them win. It’s like winning a home game in any other sport. You can’t lose on your turf, and they’ll practice to make sure they hold that spot.”
CCHS has been a very committed team and has even gone as far as regionals. This year they will be playing in the semi-finals which will be done on December 2nd. According to Reginald Cosey, the Associate Producer for Scholastic Hi-Q,”What makes any team formidable is its commitment to supporting one another to achieve an objective.” adding onto it Cosey went on to say, “I believe the Carbondale HI-Q team’s success is directly correlated to this notion. Great coaching, a diverse mix of talent, a mutual trust, and a shared vision. This empowers Carbondale’s ability to quickly and effectively problem solve. It’s not a surprise how much Carbondale has continued to excel in this competition.” Cosey has been able to experience Carbondale’s winnings and losses for 2 seasons.
Even students in Southern Illinois University’s program agree that the CCHS team holds a strong foundation and are an excellent team. Aaliyah Pompee, a student producer for Scholastic HI-Q for four seasons states “What makes them this way is how they choose to play the game!” She continues to state, “Carbondale always has a person that answers first, but they still collaborate with each of their teammates before answering the question. Even If it is wrong, they never fret and still play the game as if the wrong answer didn’t matter. They also use the interruption rule to their advantage. As soon as they hear something familiar, they can answer it easily.”
