Team Polk won the championship for Division I in the Commissioner’s Academic Challenge in Orlando this month.
Team Polk won the championship for Division I in the Commissioner’s Academic Challenge in Orlando this month. | Courtesy of Coach Peggy Frisbie

For Juan Landaeta, 18, the Commissioner’s Academic Challenge in Orlando this month was a nail-biter.

“Anyone watching the finals will know that it was a tight match — we were trailing in second place by a single point by the end of the second round,” said Landaeta, a senior at International Baccalaureate at Bartow High School who lives in Lakeland. “It was in the final round where we pulled far ahead of the competition.”

The Academic Challenge features teams from throughout Florida answering questions on various academic subjects and competing for scholarships, trophies and bragging rights.

Team Polk students won first place for the second year in a row in the event touted as “Florida’s premier high school academic competition.” They beat Lee, Manatee, Pinellas, Seminole and Volusia counties’ teams in the final.

“It was both thrilling and surreal to hear the results. We had won last year but key players had graduated, so winning this year felt like confirmation that the work we put in paid off well,” said Landaeta, who was named as one of six students to Team Florida to compete nationally.

Team Polk is comprised of public and private high school students. They finished first in Division One, which includes the state’s largest school districts and is touted as the event’s toughest division.

In the end, they carried home the trophy, medals, and Coach Peggy Frisbie said they were fitted for championship rings.

Team Polk is:

  • Landaeta, Abraham Medina, who lives in Winter Haven, and Kim-Linh Vo, who lives in Lakeland, attend International Baccalaureate at Bartow High School.
  • Abrar Amin attends International Baccalaureate at Haines City High School and lives in Winter Haven.
  • James Lovely of Lakeland and Liam Moraczewski of Winter Haven attend All Saints Academy in Winter Haven.
  • Sarah McKinney, who lives in Lakeland, is an alternate from Harrison School for the Arts.
  • Farrell Dugazon lives in Winter Haven and is an alternate from Chain of Lakes Collegiate High.
  • In addition to Frisbie, Chris Guice is also a coach. Both are from Bartow High School.

Keep Up With Lakeland

Each Thursday, we’ll send you the latest news, including a preview of weekend events

We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

SEND CORRECTIONS, questions, feedback or news tips: newstips@lkldnow.com

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Kimberly C. Moore, who grew up in Lakeland, has been a print, broadcast and multimedia journalist for more than 30 years. Before coming to LkldNow in the spring of 2022, she was a reporter for four years with The Ledger, first covering Lakeland City Hall and then Polk County schools. She is the author of “Star Crossed: The Story of Astronaut Lisa Nowak," published by University Press of Florida. Reach her at kimberly@lkldnow.com or 863-272-9250.

Leave a comment

Your thoughts on this? (Comments are moderated; first and last name are required.)