It was a “three-peat” for La Plata High School earlier this month when the team took first place in the Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) “It’s Academic” annual competition, making the Warriors the top team for the third year in a row. Held Nov. 5 at St. Charles High School, the “It’s Academic” event challenges high school students to correctly answer questions on various subjects in a quiz show format.

The Warriors battled to reach the top spot in this year’s competition. “La Plata truly came from behind,” Chrissy Trest, CCPS instructional specialist for gifted education, said. “They were in last place until Round 3 of the final game, where they tied the score and pushed into the tie-breaker rounds.”

Trest said the competition was “a nailbiter,” with La Plata and St. Charles high schools tied at the end of the final game, forcing a tie breaker. After the first tie-breaking question was not answered correctly by either team, a second question was asked which La Plata answered correctly, making the Warriors the victors.   

The La Plata team that competed in the county contest is made up of senior Christopher Burtch and juniors Sofia Myers and Dylan Shafer, scoring 270 points. The team advances to compete against two metropolitan-area high school teams on Saturday, Nov. 15. The contest is set to air April 18 on WETA.

Taking second place, St. Charles earned a chance to compete in a “It’s Academic” competition set to tape in early fall 2026. The team members who competed in the recent contest, clocking 260 points, included seniors Landen Hanan, who is the team captain, Benjamin Francis Dela Cruz and Ibrahim Osman.

The Westlake High School team of seniors Naomi Hudson, the team captain, Om Mistry and Christopher Chubbs Jr., earned 250 points to place third in the county competition.

The Greater Waldorf Jaycees donates scholarships to “It’s Academic” teams. The first-place team earns $500 with the remaining teams each receiving $250.

The teams
Each CCPS high school has an “It’s Academic” team coached by CCPS staff members.

La Plata High School
The La Plata High School team was captained by senior Christopher Burtch, with senior Sofia Myers and Dylan Shafer, a junior, also on the competing team. Other members include senior Leah Hill (alternate), sophomores Favor Ayodele and Marcellus White, and freshman Evan An. The team is coached by La Plata social studies teacher Matthew Panzarella.

Henry E. Lackey High School
The Henry E. Lackey High School team who competed Nov. 5 was made up of seniors Wilmer “Josue” Sierra-Castellon, who is the team captain, Joseph Lancaster Jr. and Donovan Smith. Other members of the team are seniors Jonathan Lancaster (alternate) and Madison McCormick, and freshman Michael Johnson. The team’s coach is Lackey social studies teacher James Hojnowski.

Maurice J. McDonough High School 
The Maurice J. McDonough High School team that recently competed was captained by senior Cori Avent, with seniors William Benjamin and Alexa Byrd rounding out the competing team. Other team members include seniors Cynclair Wilson (alternate) and Alyamama Elashwell, and sophomores Riley Mulliken and Jazlyn Wilson. The coaches of the team are McDonough’s media specialist Joanna Hobbs and Mary Dempsey, CASE teacher.

North Point High School 
The North Point High School team that competed Nov. 5 is made up of captain Zahria Standley, a senior, Mabel Brantuo, a senior, and sophomore Aislin Voyles. Other team members are seniors Renata Ashton (alternate), Eric Chen, Ariana Josiah, Mary Elaine Balancio and John Gibbs, juniors Shiloh Sescoe and Louel Alan Maman, and freshmen Isabelle Aguilar and Londyn McFadden. The team is coached by North Point world language teacher Moriah Rochlinski-Evans and A’leese Dickerson, an English teacher.

St. Charles High School 
The St. Charles High School team is captained by senior Landen Hanan with seniors Benjamin Francis Dela Cruz and Ibrahim Osman making up the competing team. Additional team members include seniors David Benton (alternate) and Kavon Washington, and juniors Clyde Agustin, Aiden Williams, Ethan Omo, Silas Fadare and Derek Smith. The team’s coaches are St. Charles social studies teachers Michael Colatruglio and Matthew Howard.

Thomas Stone High School
The Thomas Stone High School team that competed in the county contest are seniors Kennadi Sanders, the team captain, Christopher Hill and Blake Testerman. Other team members are seniors Juliet Brown, Deyanna Gonzalez, Dayona Moore, Deashia Freeman, Julia Zsofia Taboga, Mya Curry, Amahyree Wells, Ichane Karantassi and Frank Rodriguez, juniors Maria Nazir (alternate), Christopher Benitez Masariegos and Amaya Ford, and freshman Arooj Nazir. Thomas Stone social studies teachers Melissa Hatch and Renee Hopper coach the team.

Westlake High School
The team of Westlake High School that competed Nov. 5 includes seniors Naomi Hudson, captain, Om Mistry and Christopher Chubbs Jr. Additional team members include seniors Lema Barkzai (alternate), Avelina Londres, Madeline Londres, Nosazewen Otokiti, Keerat Pannu and Bianca Lepe. Natalie Finch-Howard, a social studies teacher at Westlake, coaches the team.

About CCPS

Charles County Public Schools provides 28,162 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 39 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Mike Blanchard, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.  CCPS provides nondiscriminatory equal access to school facilities in accordance with its Use of Facilities rules to designated youth groups (including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts).