Successful Weekend for High School and Junior High Academic Bowl Teams
Saturday, November 8 was a banner day for Paideia quiz bowl. A program record 22 Pythons participated in competition on the day as part of 5 teams at two different events. 3 teams representing Paideia’s high school competed at the Johns Creek HS Gladiator Classic. Two varsity teams and one JV squad claimed winning records on the day, and the two varsity teams both finished within the tournament's top 10 teams. This clinched a second berth in the 2026 Small School National Championship Tournament, meaning that two teams of high school quiz bowlers will have the chance to represent Paideia in Chicago in April. Individually, 3 players claimed all-star nods at the Johns Creek tournament, an impressive feat given that only 10 players from all participating schools earned such accolades. Alec Freeman finished as the tournament's second-ranked player, Sanjiv Westbrook ranked 5th and Maxim Slopsema was 10th.
The junior high team also had a highly successful day, with two teams participating at the North by North Gwinnett tournament at North Gwinnett Middle School. The A team claimed Paideia's first berth in the Middle School National Championship since the 2022-23 season, and the B team also enjoyed a successful day of competition by narrowly missing the playoff field.
The list of wins on the day includes a laundry list of powerhouse programs both at the junior high and high school levels. Even amid a years-long track record of success, this was among the most memorable days in all of Paideia's quiz bowl history.
Full list of participating players:
High School
A team: Alex Slopsema, Cyrus Rahbari, Elaina Gaydos (captain), Maxim Slopsema, Sarah Abraham
B team: Alec Freeman (captain), Nick Xu, Rohan Thomas, Sai Kakarala, Zia Rahman
JV team: Alex Bradley, Daniel Rahbari, Sanjiv Westbrook (captain)
Junior High
A team: Jad Salaita, Justin So, Khalif Ballard, Peter Crenshaw, Peter Smith (captain)
B team: Alden Earley (captain), Avi Shah, Guy Durell, Luca Manganiello