Moravian Academy Hosts Lehigh Valley Open, Bringing Quiz Bowl Excitement to Campus

Moravian Academy recently hosted its third annual Lehigh Valley Open, welcoming thirty-two teams from seventeen schools across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Divided into Varsity and Junior Varsity levels, students competed in a round-robin format with each team participating in 10-12 matches throughout the day. Questions, provided by National Quiz Bowl, included 20 toss-up and bonus questions per match, challenging participants’ knowledge across a wide range of topics. As hosts, Moravian Academy students did not compete but instead played an essential role in organizing and running the tournament, ensuring a smooth and successful day of spirited competition.

The tournament was organized and overseen by Nathaniel Schmidt '26’s father, Pete Schmidt, with Moravian Academy students stepping up to manage scoring, read and score questions, and set up facilities. Tyler Shankweiler '26 served as the main scorekeeper, with Sajjad Issa '25, Hunter Zicherman '25, Xavier Zumba '25, Charlene Liu '26, Nathaniel Schmidt '26, Kathryn Carolan '28, and Isabel Mylnarsky  '28, also contributing their time and skills to make the event a success. The dedication of these students exemplified Moravian Academy’s commitment to fostering a community rooted in academic excellence and collaboration.

In addition to hosting the Lehigh Valley Open, Moravian Academy’s Quiz Bowl team has been actively competing this fall. They recently participated in the highly competitive Princeton Quiz Bowl Tournament, where they held an impressive 11th place out of 25 teams from across the region.

Adding to this momentum, Moravian Academy began the PBS39 Scholastic Scrimmage season with an exciting win, defeating Emmaus High School in our first match. The team’s next match will take place on November 12, and the initial face-off will be aired live on PBS39 and streamed on their website on November 17. We are excited to cheer on our team as they continue their season and showcase their academic prowess on a larger stage.