The Bishop Garrigan quiz bowl team made its 20th trip to the National Academic Championships in June in Chicago. Senior Logan Heying served as captain of the Golden Bear team. Also competing were seniors Sami Darling, Bryce Capesius, and Gabe Trainer; junior Grant Bormann; and sophomores Abbi Heying and Aric Laubenthal. Bishop Garrigan was by far the smallest high school to qualify for the national tournament. In spite of that, they managed to beat Watson Chapel High School, a school from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, with over 200 students per class. They also faced schools from Lincoln, Nebraska, Detroit, Michigan, Spokane, Washington, and the New York City suburbs. In addition to competing the team visited Chicago’s famous museums and landmarks and sampled local foods. Some students went to the play “Hamilton,” and some saw the White Sox face the Washington Nationals. The team qualified for nationals by winning their home tournament last October and also taking the Top of Iowa Conference Championship in November. The Bears have made 20 trips to the National Academic Championships since first qualifying in 1995. They have gone to nationals every year since 2008. David Burrow serves as the quiz bowl coach for Bishop Garrigan. The quiz bowl team poses at the “Cloud Gate” sculpture in Chicago’s Millennium Park. Pictured from left are Abbigail Heying, Samantha Darling, Aric Laubenthal, Bryce Capesius, Gabriel Trainer, Logan Heying, and Grant Bormann.