The West High cafeteria buzzed with excitement as students, teachers and volunteers gathered for 1440’s Trivia Night on Tuesday, May 27. It was a fast-paced evening of fun, facts and philanthropy. Teams of five competed from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., each paying a five-dollar entry fee, with the proceeds destined for a good cause. The winning team would earn the right to choose a charity that would receive all the funds raised.
After several rounds of challenging questions and tight competition, it was a group of five ninth graders who emerged victorious. The team, William Seberger ’28, Alexander Moss ’28, Taha Salem ’28, Emma Lai ’28 and Raphael Policeni ’28, clinched first place by scoring 48 points in 10 rounds with five questions each. They coincidentally noticed that their initials spelled out “W-A-T-E-R” and decided to donate the $300 raised to Charity: Water, a nonprofit organization that brings clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries.
Following his triumph, Seberger reflected on the event, “Trivia night was really fun, and I thought the energy there was great. Nobody took it too seriously, and I think that contributed to just good vibes overall.”
Alexander Moss got the group together. Moss said, “When I first got the email for West High Trivia night, I was overjoyed. I love trivia, and I thought playing a game with five of my friends sounded wonderful, so I forwarded the email to some of my most intelligent friends and asked them if they wanted to do it.”
“The charity was a good way to benefit the winners, and it was fun picking which charity,” Salem added. “The question that stumped me the most was the first video on MTV.”
“Trivia night was super exciting. I got to hang out with my friends while using random knowledge I know to answer questions. I also won a ticket raffle, so I enjoyed the candy included in that prize. We ended up winning the trivia, so we will donate a few hundred dollars to Charity: Water,” Policeni concluded.
This is the second year the event has been held. “It started last year because of City High doing one, and we thought it was a great idea,” Maya Mueller ’26, one of the leaders of the club, explained.
This event was hosted by 1440, the Interact Club at Iowa City West High School. The club’s name, 1440, represents the 1,440 minutes in a day, emphasizing the idea that every minute can be used to make a difference. Through volunteer work, fundraising and student-led initiatives like Trivia Night, 1440 aims to empower young people to be active leaders and compassionate citizens.
1440 is part of Interact, a global service club for youth ages 12 to 18 that operates under the guidance of Rotary International, a worldwide humanitarian organization. Rotary connects more than 1.4 million members across over 46,000 clubs, focusing on causes such as promoting peace, fighting disease, supporting education, and providing clean water and sanitation. Interact clubs, such as 1440, offer students a unique opportunity to contribute to these global efforts at a local level.
Trivia Night was more than just a game, it was a demonstration of leadership, teamwork and community spirit.
Looking ahead, the club plans to continue its current initiatives. “We plan to do a continuation of what we did this year next year,” Mueller said. She also encouraged more students to get involved. “People should just come to meetings. You don’t have to be able to attend all of them, but just showing up is a big deal.”
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