RHS NJROTC team qualifies for National Brain Brawl competition

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ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — It was another first for the Robertsdale High School NJROTC squad who finished second on Saturday, Feb. 1 at the Area 8 Brain Brawl competition, becoming the first team from RHS to qualify for the Brain Brawl Nationals, which will be held April 25 in San Diego.

The competition, held at Brother Martin High School in New Orleans, featured 32 teams from Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana.

“This is something that has grown through the years,” said Commander Frank Starr, senior Naval science instructor at RHS. “Where there used to be only a few teams in these competitions, now there are hundreds.”

Area 8 is one of 12 NJROTC areas represented at the national competition. Two teams from each area qualify for the April competition, making Robertsdale one of the top 24 teams in the nation.

“This is a huge deal for us and a huge deal for our cadets,” Starr said.

Team members will include junior Bhumi Patel, sophomore Om Patel, junior Aidan Johnston, and senior Hunter Theodoro. An alternate will also be selected for the competition at a later date.

Brain Brawl is an academic-bowl style competition which tests general knowledge on a variety of subjects. Cadets earn points by answering toss-up questions, then can earn additional points by answering follow-up questions.

This is the 10th year for the competition. RHS finished fifth in last year’s Area 8 competition.