Spring Harbor Students Win National African American Academic History Challenge

Spring Harbor Middle School students brought home a national title from the 2025 African American History Academic Challenge (AAHAC), held at the 39th Annual Conference of 100 Black Men of America, Inc., in New Orleans.

Coached by teacher Humanities Teacher Sara Leuthold, eighth-graders Teresa Ketarkus and Makai Moore, along with seventh-grader Elias Ketchum, represented the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) and outperformed 14 teams from across the country to take first place. The victory came after months of preparation and a series of high-stakes competitions, culminating in a dominant performance during the final round, where their opponents were unable to score.

“There were people behind us saying, ‘How did they buzz before the question even finished?’ They’d hear a keyword and just respond—it was impressive,” Leuthold said.

The journey to nationals began with a district win in March, followed by a regional victory at Verona Area High School. All along the way, Teresa, Makai, and Elias were supported by their school community and dedicated themselves to hours of outside reading using the book Black History 365: An Inclusive Account of American History.

The path to the championship was not easy. The team faced a grueling series of preliminary rounds before advancing to the finals. According to the students, the final round felt less stressful after surviving multiple close calls during earlier matches, including a sudden-death tiebreaker.

“The prelims were really stressful. I was really nervous—especially when we thought we were out a couple of times—but we still made it in,” Ketchum said. 

The students shared that one of the most rewarding parts of the experience—besides winning—was the chance to travel to New Orleans and eat amazing food. They also said the knowledge they gained will stick with them and help in future history classes.

As for what’s next, eighth-graders Teresa and Makai will be attending Vel Phillips Memorial High School, while Elias will return next year—this time as the team’s assistant coach.

Leuthold has coached the Spring Harbor academic challenges teams since 2013. This is the second national win for Spring Harbor, having won in 2018.