In this edition of the MoCo Time Capsule, we take a look at a team of students from Rockville High School that led their school to victory in the “It’s Academic” Superbowl, beating the champions of the Baltimore and Central Virginia regions back in 1999.
A total of 163 public and private schools participated in the 38th season of the high school academic quiz program over a period of 40 weeks, leading up to the Superbowl. The three teams advanced to the Superbowl after winning the semifinals for their regions.
Members of the winning Rockville team were team captain Aaron Benor (who went on to attend New York University), Matt Denio (who went on to Brown University), and junior Todd Hutner. Team alternates were juniors Matt Malament and Daniel Maggin. Coaches were Kevin Keegan and Linda Mencarini.
The Rockville students beat teams from Winston Churchill High School and St. Alban’s in Washington, D.C. to win the Washington-area championship. In total, 81 public and private schools in the Washington area participated in the academic quiz program in 1999.
Rockville advanced to the Washington area finals after beating teams from Montgomery Blair High School, which won the Superbowl in 1995, and Walter Johnson High School in the semifinals. Richard Montgomery High School also placed among the highest performing schools in 1999, giving MCPS five of the seven top finishers in the contest.
The final standings in the Washington metro area (DMV) championship were: Rockville, first place; Churchill, third place; Blair, fourth place; Richard Montgomery, fifth place; and Walter Johnson, seventh place.
“It’s Academic” tests knowledge on a wide variety of topics, mathematics reasoning, and ability to respond quickly and accurately. It was designed to provide young people with a showcase for their academic skills. High school students selected for their school’s team train for matches as an extracurricular activity at their respective schools.
The Superbowl Championship aired on NBC4 on June 26. At the time, all “It’s Academic” teams are awarded a $275 scholarship for participating, while winning teams earned additional scholarship money. Rockville’s wins garnered them awards totaling $2,675.
Photo Courtesy MCPS