North’s Academic WorldQuest Team Takes Second Place

On Thursday, Nov. 30, seniors Alexander Evets, Christopher Lucchesi, Aerin Leigh Lammers, and junior Anna Osborn took second place in the rookie teams category after competing for the first time in the Academic WorldQuest, a competition sponsored by the World Affairs Council.

Academic WorldQuest is a trivial competition that has seven rounds and ten questions in each based on current events happening around the world. The competition took place at Webster University and lasted about two hours. This year’s topics consisted of Saudi Arabia, America’s Diplomats, climate change, and more.

“I thought it would be something fun to take part in. We have some pretty bright kids in our school,” said social studies teacher Jeff Kinney.

The group began as a result of Lammers recruiting students that she thought would be a good fit for the team. She and Kinney worked together to make the team come together.

“I guess I was technically the founder. Mr. Kinney just kept talking about it last year, so I got a few of my friends together to do it,” said Lammers.

Lammers then began to recruit students she knew liked history and current events.

“I really enjoy history and foreign policy, things like that,” said Evets, one of the students recruited by Lammers.

Due to her being a senior, this was her first and last year on the team along with seniors Evets and Lucchesi, who were both recruited onto the team by Lammers.

“We’re seniors, so we won’t be able to continue next year. But we have one junior, Anna Osborn and I think she wants to continue next year: our protege,” said Lammers.

With only one junior student on the team, Kinney plans to put together another team to return to the competition next year with many new faces.

“I want to find another group of students who want to go. We have one junior, so she can anchor the team with some experience and go back next year,” said Kinney.

Kinney enjoyed seeing the students successfully showcase their talent and knowledge on the world’s current events through this competition.

“These kids have proven to show that they’re interested in what’s going on in the world and keeping up with that. It’s just a good way for them to showcase what they know,” said Kinney.

by Sereniti Wrancher, staff writer