Obscure and challenging questions covering a range of complex and diverse subjects were hurled at the Langley It’s Academic Team students. Their responses came right back, giving the quizmaster, Hilary Howard, barely enough time to finish her sentences.

It’s Academic is a quiz show for bright, dedicated high school students. The Langley team was comprised of juniors Skye Toor and Aishvar Radhakrishnan, and senior Brendan Schmidt. They competed against two other teams and won, in what was the first of four total levels. The round, which was hosted by WTOP reporter Hilary Howard, took place at NBC 4’s studio and will be aired on NBC 4 on Feb. 4.

The questions that came to the students had no consistent theme, and could be described as primarily trivia questions covering topics from calculus to chemistry.  The questions were worth 10 to 20 points each. After deliberating together, teammates selected one person to press the buzzer and answer the question. Sponsor Leah Puhlick commented that that the students “did very well working as a team” and was especially impressed with the teamwork displayed in answering each question.

Langley band members came to cheer on the team and watch the intense competition unfold on the stage. Senior band member Catherine Henry was happy with the band’s performance and was “impressed with her teammates during the competition.” Other schools arrived with the support of cheerleaders and step teams in addition to their bands.