After advancing through two phases of intense online competition, the Westwood High School Air Force JROTC Academic Team earned fourth place at the National Academic Bowl Championship in Washington, D.C.

The team was composed of Anjali Suresh, Elena Van Metre, Elizabeth Horsey, and Samantha Bui, who made their mark amongst the top four teams, three of which had previously been named champions.

“What a fantastic finish, and I am extremely proud of these students! It took a dedicated team effort of finding study time and capitalizing on each other’s strengths, camaraderie, and teamwork to get to this level,” said Major Phillip Sandlin, Westwood’s senior aerospace science instructor. “This competition is high profile and intense. This is only our fourth year competing, so making it to nationals speaks volumes about Westwood High School, the TX-861st AFJROTC program, and the quality of these cadets! We made great friends and gained a lot of experience at Nationals. We are confident Westwood’s AFJROTC program will be returning!”

The Westwood team earned top scores out of the 617 teams that competed from around the world. During the fast-paced “jeopardy style” rounds, students were tested on their knowledge of English, Math, Science, World History, Geography, Literature, Art, Music, Politics, and Current Events. One of the main goals of the JROTC Academic Bowl is to prepare students for state exit/graduation exams as well as college entrance exams, such as the SAT and ACT.