AHS MasterMinds

by Rosy V. Pynadath

AHS has always had academically outstanding students. But unlike students who excel in other areas like sports or music, they lacked the chance to test their abilities outside of the AHS classroom.

That has changed. Thanks to the generosity of the Amsterdam Dollars for Scholars program and the volunteer efforts of AHS teachers Rosy V. Pynadath (Math), Joseph Scott (English), and Jennifer Hunt (Spanish), students have a unique opportunity to show their academic talents on Time-Warner's "MasterMinds."

On MasterMinds, two four-person teams of high school students square off in a television game show format collecting points as they correctly answer questions. Team members "buzz-in" in to answer question covering art, biology, chemistry, current events, geography, history, literature, music, political science, pop culture, religion and sports. At the end of two seven-minute rounds, the team with the highest number of points wins.

A hurried start

The teachers and students learned of the possibility of forming an AHS team just days before competitions began. Seventeen students turned out for a chance to compete. With no time for a written test to determine team members, the group hurriedly ran through a few simulated competitions. Senior Alex Steele was named varsity captain and Junior Rob Sobkowich was named junior varsity captain.

All 17 students made the trip for the first contest at Coxsackie-Athens. Participating were captain Steele and Sobkowich, and teammates Dan Roginski, Dominick Dickerson, Dan Roginski, Louis Petrosino, Ashley Carey, Katya Ahr, Ben Marsh, Joseph Kaczmarek, Dillan Rathke, Shawn Gray, Mike Greco, David Greco, Chris Greco, Megan Gaugler, and Earl Bellinger.

The Albany Region MasterMinds consists of 28 teams divided into five leagues. The AHS MasterMinds competes in League One against rivals Albany, LaSalle, Mohonasen, Coxsackie-Athens, and Bishop Maginn.

A season

On March 30, the AHS team of Alex Steele, Dan Roginski, Richard Lyford, Dominick Dickerson, Rob Sobkowich, and Joseph Kaczmarek triumphed over Gloversville in a match at the Time-Warner studios. The taped show may be broadcast on Time-Warner's Channel 3 on April 30.

The AHS varsity team finished the season with a 7-4 record. The JV team ended up at 6-6. Alex Steele is the top scorer in League one and the second highest scorer in the region.

Finishing in the top three in league play qualified AHS for a playoff berth. AHS squared off in the first round of a double-elimination tournament on April 4th at Colonie Central. A strong AHS team of Alex Steele, Dan Roginski, Rob Sobkowich, and Joseph Kaczmarek defeated Guilderland, Albany Academy, and Schenectady in intense competition. The final victory over Schenectady was decided in dramatic fashion when Alex correctly answered a tie-breaker question.

With their victory, the AHS MasterMinds moved on to round two in competition against the five remaining schools in the region. The AHS MasterMinds team saw its season come to an end in a closely fought battle with last year's regional champion Bethlehem. The final tally found AHS on the losing end of a 240-235 score. Bethlehem went on to win the regional title. The AHS team of Captain Alex Steele, Dan Roginsky, Richard Lyford, Dominick Dickerson, Joe Kaczmarek, and Rob Sobkowich represented our school and community with pride, teamwork and maturity.

Congratulations to all MasterMinds participants!