Being in the Academic team gives individuals the opportunity to showcase their knowledge while being celebrated by their peers. The VHSL extracurricular is led by business teacher and tennis coach Shuyler Henderson and senior captain Nathan Ko.
The academic team competes in groups of four, answering questions on a broad range of topics including English, Science, Art, Music, and more. Teams go through three rounds, with the first and third rounds being “toss-ups,” where individuals buzz in to answer questions—Jeopardy style. The second round is a “directed round,” where a team is given a question with a certain amount of time allotted for them to work collaboratively to solve it.
“It’s like a sport…you have the regular season and then you have districts,” team member and junior Scarlett Ashford explained. This year, the academic team won first in districts and was awarded second place in regionals. “It was so fulfilling to finally win… [after having] bad performances and getting knocked out… we were finally able to pull a win through,” Ko said.
The team tied with three others during districts, enhancing anticipation for the regionals competition. “Not only did we have to win, but we had to outscore the other teams by at least 60 points, so it was an exciting accomplishment,” Henderson said.
“The academic team is…a really great experience. You get to—if you’re an academic person—show off the fact that [you know] weird, niche information,” Ashford, who has been on the team since her sophomore year, said. Ashford was encouraged to participate by 2025 graduate Pierson Lee.
In Ashford’s words, the academic team is a place where “being a nerd is welcomed and celebrated.” The team encourages anyone to join, especially those who are fascinated by specific topics. •
