English artist J. M. W. Turner, the presidential election of 1948, and the equation for calculating momentum all run through the thoughts of John Vaaler, sophomore. But he’s not even in class.

Vaaler is a member of the Quiz Bowl club, which competes against other schools in nationally established competitions about general academic knowledge and is advised by Mr. John Sammler, Science.

Among the various extracurricular activities at HHS, Quiz Bowl and other academically-based clubs have gained popularity in recent years. Vaaler emphasizes Quiz Bowl’s integration of competition and connects it to it to a value of intellect found in the Renaissance period.

“In this modern day and age, there are few true Renaissance men; Michelangelo and Da Vinci, for example,” Vaaler said. “In Quiz Bowl, however, one can show their curiosity and sense of sportsmanship in the purest, most fun and simple terms.”

Another academic club at HHS is Math League, led by Mr. Brent Hering, Mathematics. Math League focuses on aspects of math not usually taught in class and prepares the team for competitions between other Minnesota schools. Despite its curricular focus, Gabe Fishman, sophomore, believes that Math League’s competitive nature makes it a valuable club.

“The competitions make [Math League] a more fun, more competitive activity than school math,” Fishman said. “To me, math is like a puzzle and the competitions are seeing who can figure them out the quickest.”

These academic-based clubs not only take students beyond the curriculum but also can benefit participants in their classes. Fishman notes the connections between his math class and his participation in Math League.

“I definitely have applied what I learn in Pre-Calculus to Math League, and what I learn on Math League to Pre-Calculus,” Fishman said.

Quiz Bowl meets on Thursdays after school from 2:45 to 4:15, with upcoming competitions on Dec. 3 and Dec. 5. Math League meets Mondays before school from 7:00 to 7:45, with upcoming competitions on Nov. 23 and Dec. 14. For more information, contact each club’s advisers.