January 18, 2019 at 4:33 p.m.
RHS teams dominate Financial Investment Challenge Bowl
Two teams qualify for state
RHS teams dominate Financial Investment Challenge Bowl
By Kayla Thomason-
Teams from Northland Pines High School, Three Lakes High School, Bowler High School and Rhinelander High School participated in this year's event which was held at Nicolet College. Of the 24 teams, 12 were from RHS and the Hodags claimed the top two spots to advance to the state competition May 21 in Milwaukee.
The first place team - who won an overtime nailbiter - was comprised of seniors Hunter Hicks, Grace Heck, Bridger Flory and Emma Roberts.
The second place teamed consisted of seniors Josh Francisco, Emma Hjelle, Russell Benoy and Ben Kubisiak.
The other two teams in the "final four" championship bracket were another RHS team and the Northland Pines Red Team.
The RHS team, comprised of Neil Mathews, senior; and juniors Alex Kubeny, Payton Johnson and Karston LaDean, prevailed over the Northland Pines team for third place.
The questions presented to the students had a few new twists, and were more open-ended than in past years, leading to a more challenging competition, according to Patrick Kubeny, business education teacher at RHS.
"The day is more of a testing than teaching day to be sure; however, there is still a lot of learning that occurs," he explained. "I would say they learn the most by conversing with each other as they ponder the questions as a team. There is a lot of dialogue between students, but also from the quiz masters as they read the answers to the questions the students may not have correctly answered."
The seniors who took first place - Hicks, Heck, Flory and Roberts - participated in last year's competition and made a pact that brought them to the top.
"Our whole team, all four of us were on a team last year and at the end of last year we did surprisingly better than we thought we were going to do - we were kind of going in it for fun - and we made a pact with each other to stay with the same team and we were going to try to go-for-the-gold next year, and we went this year and tried our best and we came out with the win," Roberts explained.
The team was counting victories until they had state firmly in their grasp.
"The whole tournament we were like 'We have to beat this many more teams to get to state and once we got to the final round - the final round was fun but it really was the semi-final that we were really excited about because then we knew we were going to go," Roberts explained.
The group had to show its mettle as the final match went into overtime.
"I think we were 10 points down and there's two questions left, we have to buzz we have to get this one right because there's only two questions left so I just buzzed right away and I was like 'Oh no, I'm not sure what it is' and I guessed wrong. So then there's one question left, we're down 20 points so we need to get it right or we're done, and I buzz again and I'm just like 'OK, C' and it was right," Roberts narrated.
This was a big relief for the seniors.
"This was our last chance," Flory said. "If we had lost that game we'd never have another chance to go to state."
"That's when my heart rate went from like 100 to 140," Hicks added, noting that he checked his heart rate using his FitBit.
As fun and as challenging as the event is, it was quite informative for the participants as well.
"I just learned a little bit more about the personal money management," Heck said. "I think that we all went into it and we have taken some classes some of us but not extensively, so going in and even seeing the answers you get wrong it's interesting to see what you should know."
All of the team members said they'll be studying hard to prepare for both the state competition and for their financial future.
"I think it's really important when it comes to personal money management," Hicks said. "A lot of it is doing stuff that you are going to need to do in the future. You don't need to invest, but it's a great way to make money if you know what you're doing, so you should get informed and be informed on how to invest."
The team was effusive in encouraging others to participate in the Challenge Bowl.
"I know at RHS the quiz bowl is kind of a known thing that is really fun to go to, fun to do, you don't have to be the best to go," Roberts said. "It's a good experience."
"I would suggest for lower classmen to start thinking about it, talk to Mr. Kubeny, the money management teacher at the high school, he'll be astonished that you even know what it is if you ask him as a freshman or sophomore and tell him that you'd like to compete because the more experience you get the more fun of a time you'll have and hopefully the better you'll do," Hicks said.
Kubeny was pleased with the teams' performance.
"It was another very successful regional for the Hodags," he said. "Having three of the four teams in the final four, the consolation champion, and eventually qualifying two teams to state is really a nice accomplishment. I am proud of all the students who participated and missed a very important day of school just prior to final exams in order to represent their school at this event."
Kubeny looks forward to this event each year and hopes the event eventually goes national.
"It is honestly my favorite day of the school year because of how much fun it is to watch students having fun, all while testing their previous knowledge and invariably improving their financial literacy," he said. "It creates a lot of motivation for many students to continue learning more and also it creates awareness back at RHS for the students that haven't been exposed yet to any formal financial literacy education. I am helping to try to get the program to go national with the help of my favorite professional partners NGPF (Next Generation Personal Finance). NGPF is on a mission to see that every high school student in the U.S.A. has successfully completed a one-semester personal finance course before graduating. I am happy to say that Rhinelander High School is doing its part to help accomplish that mission."
While the competition is great fun, Kubeny noted critical financial knowledge will stay with the students well after they leave high school and will help shape their future.
"I believe it is essential for all students to be financially literate in order to make the best decisions as they go through life," he explained. "It can mean the difference between getting approved or denied for a loan to go to school or to buy a car or a home. It can make the difference between having an early retirement or declaring bankruptcy. It can make the difference between being the person who helps others or the person who is constantly in need of help from others."
Kayla Thomason may be reached at kayla@ rivernewsonline.com.
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