Congratulations to the Academic Challenge team. With the guidance of Ms. McDonald and Mrs. Kaschak  the team placed third. The competition at Hammarskjold Middle School was fierce.

Going into a competition is terrifying so having the right mindset helps set the tone. When asked about their mindsets for the competition, Aniruddha Madhava said “ Stay focused and do good. In my mind I kept saying ‘We can do it! We will win, and we will succeed!’ “ Ms. McDonald said “ To try our best. It doesn’t matter if we come in first or last as long as we try our best.” Madhava is an eighth grade member and has been on the team since the sixth grade. He would like to become an astrophysicist.

“There aren’t many clubs that go towards academics”, said Kamil Lemdani. “Woodbridge MIddle School consists of sports teams and clubs for the arts, but there are only two clubs for academics.” Madhava also said, “The academic challenge team isn’t just an excuse to get out of class, it is a club to improve trivia skills and academics.”

When asked about improvement as a whole, Madhava said they worked hard, and practiced during lunch. Lemdani said they watched Jeopardy and played trivia. They both agreed that the hard work payed off. Mrs.Kaschak said, “Since there was no team in sixth grade, it was the 7th graders first year. They did very well in the first two rounds and got some really tough topics in the third round.”

Ms.McDonald and Mrs. Kaschak, the coaches for academic challenge, enjoy watching students excel in academics. Ms.McDonald said she is interested in the club because she “enjoys watching Jeopardy” and helping students with academics. Mrs. Kaschak said, “Honestly, when I first became a coach, I didn’t know what I was getting into. It sounded interesting and a way to get to know some of the students better. When I looked into it and saw that it truly was about, it amazed me at some of the information the students knew off the top of their head.”

In the end the team was called into third place. The team was filled with “exhilaration.” Lemdani held the trophy over his head and screamed with joy. Madhava took pictures and called his family to tell them the news. Again, a huge congratulations to the team.

8th Graders on the Team:

Vibha Madhava

Aniruddha Madhava

Isaiah Williams

Elijah Williams

Auyana Hampton

Kamil Lemdani