Our 2024–2025 Academic Bowl season was a memorable one, as CSD captured its fifth National Academic Bowl Championship! After winning the National Championship last year, we returned three seasoned players: seniors Geneva Brock and Sevan Ikeda, and junior Hayden Cervantes. We also welcomed senior Taiven Foust. While winning one national title is an incredible achievement, defending it is an even greater challenge.

Our Academic Bowl journey began in the fall with matches in the independent Western Academic Bowl League (WABL), where schools compete virtually. This season, we played against twelve other schools from across the western United States. The CSD team went undefeated and defeated Rocky Mountain Deaf School 101–36 to win our fifth WABL championship in the last seven years.

Our strong WABL performance set the stage for a successful run in the Gallaudet University Academic Bowl competition. In February, CSD had the honor of hosting the West Region Academic Bowl competition, giving our community the wonderful opportunity to watch our team play. The Eagles went undefeated in pool play and then dominated the elimination rounds: defeating Southern Oregon Education Service District 103–22 in the quarterfinals, University High School (Southern California) 102–33 in the semifinals, and advancing to the West Region Championship match. Our 103-point performance in the quarterfinals set an all-time Academic Bowl scoring record, the highest match score ever in the competition’s 29-year history.

In the championship match, CSD faced our sister school, CSD Riverside, and secured a decisive 92–55 victory. Senior Geneva Brock was named an All-Star, and senior Sevan Ikeda was honored as the Most Outstanding Player. This win marked CSD’s sixth consecutive West Region Academic Bowl title.

Despite our excitement, our ultimate goal remained: defending the national title. Our students prepared intensely for the National competition held at Gallaudet University in April. The team arrived early in Washington, DC to explore museums, take in the sights, and acclimate to the time difference— ensuring they were ready to compete at their best.

The Nationals featured the top four teams from each of the four regional competitions, totaling sixteen of the best Deaf high school teams in the country. As in regionals, the competition began with pool play. CSD went undefeated, beating CSD Riverside, Delaware School for the Deaf, Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, Model Secondary School for the Deaf, Rocky Mountain Deaf School, Texas School for the Deaf, and University High School. Our team’s outstanding performance made them clear favorites heading into the elimination rounds.

As the #1 seed from our pool, CSD faced the #4 seed from the opposite pool, Indiana School for the Deaf, in the quarterfinals. We started strong and never let up, winning 75–35—the highest quarterfinal score of any team (all schools use the same questions in playoff rounds). In the semifinals, we faced Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD). Although MSSD took an early lead, our team remained composed, rallied, and won 71–60. CSD advanced to the National Championship match for the fifth time in six years.

Our final opponent was Carter G. Woodson High School from Fairfax, Virginia, who had narrowly beaten Montgomery Blair High School (Maryland) 69–58 in the other semifinal. Like CSD, Woodson returned three players from the previous season, and notably, had defeated our team in overtime during pool play last year before finishing 3rd overall. Determined to win their first national title, Woodson came ready for a rematch.



The Championship match took place at 6 PM in Gallaudet University's Elstad Auditorium before a full house and an online audience via livestream. The first round, a team collaboration format, was tightly contested. CSD briefly led by six points, but Woodson closed the gap, and the round ended in a 44–44 tie. In the second round, where players answer questions individually, Woodson edged ahead and led 60–56 at the end of the round. For the first time all year, CSD looked like it might lose a match.

The third and final round required teams to answer 15 questions on a sheet of paper in three minutes, with all the answers beginning with the letters “Ba.” Both teams started strong, answering the first ten questions correctly. However, both missed question 11. With four questions left, Woodson held a four-point lead, meaning CSD needed to answer at least two more questions correctly than Woodson to win. The tension in the room was high.

Both teams correctly answered question 12: Barcelona. Question 13 asked for the "father of the computer"—CSD answered Charles Babbage correctly; Woodson did not. Now, only one point separated the teams. Question 14: "What is the capital of Mali?" CSD answered Bamako correctly, while Woodson missed it. Suddenly, CSD had pulled ahead. The final question asked for the filter-feeding system inside some whales' mouths—baleen. Neither team answered correctly. And with that, CSD had pulled off a dramatic comeback to win the National Championship!

Senior Geneva Brock was named a National All-Star, and senior Sevan Ikeda earned the title of Most Outstanding Player of the National Tournament. 

The team had an amazing time in Washington, DC—reconnecting with old friends, making new ones, and sharing the true spirit of the Academic Bowl. Coaches Andrew Phillips and Emily Sidansky, both former Academic Bowl players, are incredibly proud of the team’s performance and honored to be part of CSD’s rich Academic Bowl legacy as the competition enters its 30th year in 2026.

The team deeply appreciates the continued support from CSD, family, and the community. Special thanks to the Parodi Charitable Trust for its generous support. This victory would not have been possible without you all!

Match scores: https://gallaudet.edu/youth-programs/academic-bowl/

Photos & video recording of the championship match: www.facebook.com/GUYouthPrograms/

Our International Studies group of 2025 traveled to the Netherlands and Belgium last April. We stayed in Amsterdam, which has many canals and beautiful buildings with a rich history. We visited the Deaf Clubhouse and learned about the famous house called Singel 7, which measures just over one meter wide! The original owner built its facade this way to pay less tax than if he had built a larger one. Bikes are everywhere! We visited the Anne Frank House. It was very thought-provoking to see the reality of her past life.

We then visited Guyot High School in Groningen, where Deaf students attend. We received a warm welcome and a school tour, and learned Dutch Sign Language with the Deaf students.

We also visited the Van Gogh Museum and the Amsterdam Museum, both rich in history about famous painters and the purpose of their portraits.

In Brussels, Belgium, we visited many important government buildings such as NATO, the European Commission, and the Royal Palace. We visited the European Union of the Deaf to meet its president and members. We learned a lot about their mission for the Deaf European community.  Afterwards, we went to see the Comic Art Museum, where we enjoyed learning about its history.

We also went to Ghent, where we visited Visual Box, established by a Deaf man named Jorn Rijckaert, who explained its operation. Jorn gave us a tour around Ghent and explained its medieval history. We visited a Deaf-owned restaurant called Soepbar Sordo. Back in Brussels, we stayed overnight, and the next day we went to see the Atomium. It was originally set up for the World Exhibition in 1958, but eventually became an icon of Brussels.

Back in Amsterdam, we stopped by Zaanse Schans, known for its industrial powerhouse during the 17th century (Dutch Golden Age). The windmills served many different purposes!

On the last day, we met a Deaf Holocaust survivor, Filip Nunes-Cardozo, who shared his powerful story from WWII. He was tragically taken from his Deaf parents to reside in another building with many toddlers and children. His hearing brother bravely asked his non-Jewish girlfriend to rescue him and arrange for his adoption with another hearing, non-Jewish family. He learned about his Jewish identity when he was 12 years old. His journey, marked by immense loss and resilience, served as a profound testament to the human spirit's capacity for survival and self-discovery.

To wrap up the 10-day trip, we had a wonderful farewell dinner, sharing our favorite memories.