By Brandi Williams, LifeSmarts Program Manager
I’m thrilled that I had the chance to attend the Massachusetts LifeSmarts competition in Boston this year! Coordinated by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and held in their amazing offices in downtown Boston overlooking the Bay, I had the opportunity to see Massachusetts pride at its best.
Teams from across the state were in attendance, and there was so much incredible energy and excitement, from students, coaches and long-time LifeSmarts officials! It was fun to catch up with old friends from the Boston Fed, and meet coaches I’d only interacted with via phone and email and fax, and it was also great to see 2011 Massachusetts Champions, Palmer High School!
Something fun about the Mass competition: their judges use a buzzer to accept or reject questions! So when a team gets the answer correct, you hear a pleasant “Ding!” and when the team gets the answer incorrect, you hear an angry “BZZZZZ!” I got such a kick out of that!
At the end of a fun-filled day, the finalist teams from Milton High School and Palmer High School were neck-and-neck until the Challenge Round, and Milton High eventually took the game. It was a fantastic, nail-biting match, and both teams did an amazing job. I look forward to seeing the Milton team again at Nationals!
