For students like junior Chris Johnson, the month of March is considered one of the best of the year. March is the end of winter, and as temperatures rise, students begin the countdown to summer vacation.
However, for Johnson, March means something else. While the warm weather is nice, he loves March due to the fact that it is the month in which the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, commonly known as “March Madness,” takes place.
“I love March Madness. I love the atmosphere, the upsets,” Johnson said. “It’s awesome to see the big teams go down. I’m expecting Indiana University to make a big run this year.”
Unfortunately for Johnson and many other students at CHS, the first two days of the tournament take place during school, so students are unable to watch the first round of games. Sophomore Jake Brown, another avid March Madness fan, said that he believes students should get a day off of school for one of the first days of the tournament.
“I absolutely think there should be no school,” Brown said. “A bunch of kids skip school anyways, so I think we should just get the day off. Also, if you are in school, you miss most of the upsets because they usually happen in the first round.”
Johnson said he agrees with Brown.
“You need to have time (before the games) to do your bracketology, which is the art of making brackets,” Johnson said. “You also need time to study up and watch SportsCenter to learn which teams are best and where the upsets might be.”
Brown and Johnson both participate in multiple bracket competitions with their friends and family, and both say they are expecting to be crowned champions of their respective pools.
“I’m expecting to win my family pool and also the pool I do with my friends,” Brown said. “I just feel great about my chances.”
There will be an opportunity from the HiLite for any members of CHS to participate in a bracket challenge. This will be an opportunity to discover who can make the best picks out of the entire school.
Johnson said he believes he will win the school-wide pool as well. To his competitors, Johnson said, “Don’t even bother registering because I’m obviously going to win. I checked the odds; I can’t lose.”
On the other hand, Brown believes that he will be crowned school-wide champion. “The way I see it,” Brown said. “The more people who enter, the more people I get to say that I beat.”

***For information about the contest, see the ticker on the top of the GMN Sports home page