‘The Brain Show’ Buzzes in at Manchester High School

Students at last week had their wits challenged when the annual standardized High School Proficiency Assessment tests challenged their minds and mixed up their schedules.

Three days of testing, the administration said, can throw the students off.

“The kids are accustomed to their routine,” said Connie Soper, an assistant principal at MTHS. Soper said that the the stresses of standardized testing can make students tired. 

So, once testing was complete, the school’s administration and PTA got together to give kids a breather with “The Brain Show” on March 4.

“The Brain Show” is a live-action game show brought to the high school's auditorium by Magic Touch Entertainment. This was the second year the contest was held.

“The show is an educational assembly focusing on teamwork to build character,” said Magic Touch's Chris Stine, host of the two shows held last Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. “It concentrates on knowledge from the grade level curriculum – math, science, history, geography.”

Stine and his co-host, Johnathan Frederick, shared the colorful set of “The Brain Show” with volunteers from the student audience, who become contestants. The students showed their energy; most seemed excited and many stood with their hands up to volunteer.

Students faced questions such as: What color star is the hottest? What is the purpose of a conjunction? And, who invented the thermometer?

If a team answered correctly, they earned points. But certain conditions had to be met to keep those points.

Stine had control over the sound effects panel, which included applause, bells to signal score updates, “Oooohs,” “Aaaahs,” and “Wows,” as well as song clips.

Each time Stine played a new song, he taught the corresponding dance to go with it and it was the students’ job to remember which dance went with which song. If not, they could lose their points.

Soper said that the benefits of of the show are two-fold.

“It’s somewhat academic, but mostly it’s fun," she said. The HSPA tests can put a lot of pressure on the students, which can be quite stressful, Soper said.

The administration felt the best time for the show would be at the end of testing as a way to decompress, Soper said.

“A big part [of why we have the show] is to thank them for being so attentive and cooperative with testing,” she said.

The stage accomodated five teams of five students. A team buzzes in and discusses the question together before choosing their final answer. If the answer is wrong, the team does not lose points but their opponents are given a chance to answer.

“We don’t want to punish them for wrong answers,” Stine said. “It’s not that serious.”

Teachers were also able to break free from their regular schedules and the strict policies surrounding testing to have a bit of fun. After a few student rounds, Stine announced that there was enough time for one more short round and invited members of the teaching staff to make their way on stage.

The crowd of students exploded in approval, though the teachers were a little slow to rise up. Five teachers eventually made it up to the empty podiums where they answered questions on music, movies, pop culture and danced for the right to keep their points.

“[The students] get to view their classmates and teachers in a different way,” Soper said. “Mostly it’s a fun celebration for their achievements on testing.”

PTA President Sheryl Claus agreed.

“We really just wanted to give back to the kids," she said. "A fun assembly after a long, grueling week. The administration felt it was the ideal time.”