Cayman Prep wins first place in KPMG Brain Bowl

By Christopher Tobutt

11 schools from all across the Cayman Islands took part in the 9th Annual KPMG Brain Bowl Academic Tournament at the Kimpton Hotel on 5 October. It started in the morning and went on until the middle of the afternoon, and hundreds of kids from all the schools came to see and hear and cheer.  In case you didn’t know what a Brain Bowl is, it’s a Jeopardy-style general knowledge quiz where four of the brainiest kids from each school compete in teams against other schools.

Participating schools included Cayman Prep and High School, St. Ignatius Catholic School, Cayman International School, Duel Enrollment, Grace Christian Academy, John Gray High School, Wesleyan Christian Academy, Triple C School, Layman Scott High School, Calvary Baptist, and Clifton Hunter. The last Brain Bowl was in 2019 due to Covid regulations. This was the first year back and everyone was super-excited and ready for battle. His Excellency the Governor, Martyn Roper was in attendance, along with Deputy Governor, the Hon. Franz Manderson.

The theme this year was “Supporting local entrepreneurs,” with products and services shared with guests from EventsPro, Eco Eats, and the Cayman Cookie Company. There was also a special guest presentation from BecomingX Co-Founder Bear Grylls (Man vs. Wild show) with an inspiring message that students can reach their full potential if they always keep on trying and not give up.

After lots of hard-fought rounds, it was time for the semifinals and then the finals. The questions were hard, and in the end the final question: “How many minutes represent ten percent of a full day?” to which the answer is 144.  When all the cheering and clapping died down, Cayman Prep and High School won first place, with Abigail Rose, Eleni Buchan, George Green, James Anderson, and Scarlett Akiwumi. In Second Place was Year 12 Dual Enrolment, Chad Powell, Kichooun Gordon, Marco Lopez-Francis, and Stafford Hunter. Third Place went to St. Ignatius, with Alexander Rhule, Charles Henderson, Diamond White and Michael Marzouca. The First Place prize was some Harman Kardon Bluetooth Headphones. The Second Place prize was a gimbal Stabilizer. Third prize was a Canon IVY mini photo printer for smartphones.  There was also a Sportsmanship prize (Fitbit Luxe) for all members of the winning teams.

“We are delighted to be able to host the Brain Bowl for the first time since the start of the pandemic.  The tournament encourages participation of students with a diverse range of abilities and experiences – whether they prefer to stay behind the scenes or act as the decision-maker, competing as a team fosters success in a fun and engaging way. We are extremely proud to see the effort and hard work all students put in to preparing for the day,” said KPMG’s Sheenah Hislop, Head of Local Recruitment