Fairfield team earns 2nd in teen quiz competition

FAIRFIELD - A group of youngsters from Fairfield earned second place in a statewide quiz competition last month.

Sisters Nicole and Gwen Sutherland joined another Fairfield resident, seventh-grader Keira Hinton, to compete in the 'Teen Battle of the Brains Statewide Smackdown” on Oct. 28.

The event pitted groups of teens, organized through their local library, against teens in other towns in a trivia competition conducted over an online video call.

The quiz bowl-style competition tested the teens' smarts in categories such as books, music, gaming and current events. Since Fairfield only fielded three participants, it had to join forces with students from another library to form a team, so the three Fairfield participants teamed with three teens from West Branch. Nicole and Gwen jokingly referred to their team as 'Fairbranch.”

The 'Fairbranch” team placed second of nine teams. The Sutherlands said they enjoyed the event because they haven't had a chance to interact with their peers much in the last several months. Both girls are home-schooled, after having previously attended classes in the Fairfield Community School District. Hinton is also home-schooled.

The Sutherlands said the categories they excelled in were TV shows, reading and gaming, because they have ample opportunity to engage in all three. Nicole said the only thing that would have been better would be to have science fiction-themed questions for TV and movies, because that's her favorite genre.

Nicole and Gwen started home-school this year because their parents wanted them to continue learning over the summer to avoid the 'summer slide,” where children forget what they've learn during the three months they're out of class. Nicole said her sister Gwen was 'too smart” and needed a unique curriculum to challenge her. Once their parents, Eric and Angela, put Gwen, an eighth-grader, in home-schooling, they gave the same option to their other two children, their son Willis, a senior, and Nicole, a junior. Nicole took them up on the offer, but Willis declined, saying he wanted to have a 'normal” senior year.

Gwen and Nicole said they like to tease their brother as he's heading out the door because they get to stay behind and remain in pajamas. Nicole said she prefers homeschooling and that it has been better for her self-esteem and calming her anxieties.

The Sutherland girls take the lead on their own education. Each one studies on a different floor, where they can concentrate the best. Nicole prefers her bedroom because it's nice and quiet, but Gwen finds her room full of distractions and opts to study downstairs.

They each spend about three to four hours per day reading textbooks and doing assignments in their five subjects. Since they're able to go through their materials more quickly than in a traditional school, that gives them more time to develop talents such as singing, art, and studying for the next quiz competition.

The Sutherlands said they had so much fun doing Battle of the Brains that they can't wait to do another one. Alecs Mickunas, the youth services librarian in Fairfield, said another Battle of the Brains is being planned for mid-December, with a date yet to be determined. Those interested can contact him at the Fairfield Public Library at 641-472-6551.