The Academic World Quest team took first at this year’s regional competition. Senior Leah Thomas created the team with help from social studies teacher Tony Budetti, a few weeks prior to the competition. The team consisted of senior Adric Tenuta, junior Caroline Cooper, senior Isabel Holcomb and Thomas.

  “Leah Thomas is the one who got us involved, her sister competed a while back and won so she wanted to restart it,“ Cooper said. “We jumped in a week or so before the competition and ended up winning.”

  After each of the four group members were given four different topics to study, they headed to the KU Edwards campus for the regional competition. Some topics included sectarianism in the middle east, the refugee crisis in Syria, international trade and finance and why Asia matters to America. The team took first place against more than 15 different schools and will be heading down to Washington, D.C. for the national competition April 23.