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Oakcrest students tell board how Brain Brawl team prepared to win
Summary
A group of Oakcrest eleventh-graders described to the board how they prepared for and won a Brain Brawl competition, emphasizing teamwork, practice and faculty support; the board recognized the team but took no formal action.
Oakcrest High School’s eleventh-grade Brain Brawl team described to the Greater Egg Harbor Regional High School District board how the group went from an early loss to winning a later competition, saying focused practice and role assignment helped the team succeed.
Mike Manning introduced the students and invited them to describe their preparation. A student from the Oakcrest Brain Brawl team said, "Going into that first competition, it didn't seem like you were in it to win... but after recognizing how we could improve and learning how the competitions work, it really helped us navigate our way into the next competition." The team described morning meetings, practice sessions, role assignments and help from seniors and teachers.
Students said they learned to assign seats by strength — science, math and general knowledge — and to make logical assumptions under time pressure. One student credited a senior, Alex DeRosa, for helping with practice questions. The team recounted pulling ahead of their rival blue team in a later round and then winning.
Board members praised the students for teamwork and preparation. A board member said, "I just want to make sure I say congratulations to all of you. Thank you for rushing here tonight from wherever you came. We appreciate it." The presentation emphasized student learning and extracurricular engagement rather than district policy changes.
No motion or vote followed the recognition; the board thanked the students and moved on to other agenda items.
