Photo Gallery: IBEST Olympics 2024

Reviving the tradition, freshman class council brings back IBET Wars

Alice Nguyen, Staff Writer • February 9, 2024

Students work together with their IBESTs as they complete problems during the Countdown Competition on Wednesday, Jan. 31. “For our academic event, we decided on the popular math game, ’24,’ because the majority of people have played it before. People really got into it and enjoyed it, even if it was stressful at moments,” Class of 2027 historian Maya Umerov-Todoroki said. “There was a lot of participation between the IBESTs, and the Countdown Competition turned out really good.”

The 2027 Class Council hosted an Integrated Biology, English, Statistics, and Technology (IBEST) Competition as a week-long event. “IBET Wars,” the inspiration for the IBEST Olympics, was a previous freshmen class tradition up until the COVID-19 pandemic, which has not been revived until this year.

Unique to Jefferson, IBEST consists of back-to-back Biology, English, and Technology classes freshmen take with the same rotation of students. IBEST rotations provide students an opportunity to work in groups across classes and build stronger friendships throughout the transition to Jefferson.

The 2024 IBEST Olympics, nicknamed “The BEST of iBEST,” took place from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2. Seven different IBEST cohorts competed head-to-head to earn the most points by the end of the week through participating in competitions, spirit days, and the pep rally held at the end of the week.

From the Scavenger Hunt to the Online Art Competition, students showcased their different talents and class spirit through a variety of events. The IBEST Olympics brought the freshman class together as an opportunity to collaborate, connect with others, and take a fun break from the stressful academic environment at Jefferson.