Woodlands Academy team to compete in national academic event

Based on its performance at a recent preliminary round held at Evanston Township High School, a team from Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart in Lake Forest has advanced to the 2025 Small School National Championship Tournament (SSNCT). Senior Avery Drehkoff, junior Margaret Glunz, sophomore Claire Caserio and freshman Juliette Hopman are among the top small school quiz bowl teams from across the United States and beyond invited to this championship event in Rosemont, Illinois, on April 25–27.

According to the contest's organizer, National Academic Quiz Tournaments (NAQT), participants will compete against other high-caliber teams from similar schools, meet peers from different countries and showcase their knowledge while being motivated to learn even more.

Quiz bowl is a competition of questions and answers played by teams, or occasionally individual contestants, covering a wide range of topics – from academic to pop culture, sports and current events. This SSNCT qualification marks the third consecutive year that Woodlands Academy has advanced to the national level of an NAQT event. Once again, Woodlands will be competing in the Open Division.

“I am so proud of Avery, Margaret, Claire and Juliette’s qualification for the Small School National Championship Tournament,” said Shao-Yun Guo, Woodlands Academy mathematics teacher and Scholastic Bowl co-moderator. “They were selected for their exemplary performance throughout the current year, which will continue at the upcoming national competition.”   

According to its website, NAQT, founded in 1996, organizes “the premier middle school, high school and college quiz bowl championships in North America.” It also provides questions to invitational tournaments, league championships and television shows throughout the year. 

 Woodlands Academy is a Catholic, independent, day-and-boarding, college-preparatory school for young women of all faiths in grades nine through 12. Founded in Chicago in 1858 and located in Lake Forest since 1904, Woodlands is part of a worldwide network of Sacred Heart Schools that spans the United States and 40 other countries on six continents. To learn more, visit woodlandsacademy.org.

Photo: Woodlands Academy quiz bowl team members (from left) Claire Caserio, Margaret Glunz and Juliette Hopman have advanced to the April 2025 Small School National Championship Tournament. (Teammate Avery Drehkoff is not shown because she took the picture.)