Last week, the Town Council of Colonial Beach honored the recent achievements of the Scholastic Team from Colonial Beach High School.

The team, which consisted of students from multiple grades, punched vastly above what anybody thought would be the weight class of a rural small-town school as they emerged as regional champions and ultimately placed third at the state level. Feeling this was cause for celebration, the entire team was present at the Town Council’s work session last Wednesday. Mayor Robin Schick heaped praise upon the kids and their coach, Veronica Reynolds.

“This is such a huge achievement for us. We’re the smallest school in the entire state, so to take third place in States is incredible, and I hope you guys carry that with you,” the Mayor commented. “That’s why I wanted to recognize you all, even before you placed third at States. I was originally planning on doing it after you won regionals, but it only got better and better.”

According to Mayor Schick, Coach Reynolds made quite the boast about her kids in the wake of the win at regionals, having told her, “It’s not just that they’re smart. They’re amazing individuals too, and that’s the kind of students that we have at Colonial Beach High School. It is an amazing team of young adults.”

“If she (Reynolds) recognizes that in you, I trust her because I know she will tell me the honest truth about something,” said Schick. “She truly sees that in you. It made my heart swell to hear that about the team, and she really meant it about the entire team.

“I say that because maybe you don’t always want to give yourself a pat on the back or the appreciation you deserve, but this is a moment that the Town can all unite behind and give you some recognition for that.”

Coach Reynolds chronicled the demolition that the team embarked upon, which included what was intended as a lesson in humility that got hijacked by the team.

“It was a pretty amazing season,” Reynolds stated. “We went undefeated in our district and then decided to go into a pay-to-play tournament at VCU. We had only played against three other teams at the district level, but I was hoping that the VCU tournament would help them learn how to lose and come back because of how hard that can be sometimes.

“They came in third place out of twenty-seven schools at the VCU tournament, and that included the likes of Maggie Walker and several other elite schools. Then, we breezed through the regional and super-regional tournaments and found ourselves at States.”

Once the team reached the State level of competition, they played against three other teams. One team got shut out at 0–3, and the other three teams, Colonial Beach included, walked away with two wins and one loss each.

“One could say we were actually tied for first place in that regard,” Reynolds quipped. “Unfortunately, when you’re in a sudden-death tie like that, it comes down to points earned, and there was a sixty-point spread between first and third. It may sound like a lot, but that’s only six questions.”

According to Reynolds, the team that placed first had a player on their team that may as well have been the Ken Madison of the scholastic trivia world, scoring some 440 points for his team by himself that day. One of the players for the Colonial Beach team came five points shy of being among the top five scoring players, racking up 255 points to the fifth top scorer’s 260.

Mayor Schick, who, it turns out, was part of the academic team back in the early 2000s, had some additional words for the kids, noting that her seasons with the team were far more prone to seeing losses.

“We still had a really good time going to the Dairy Freeze by Stan’s Skateland afterwards. I didn’t get to experience the kind of amazing season you guys did. We kind of trudged through it,” the Mayor stated. “Our senior year was a rough one. We had a really good team before us though when I was in eighth grade.

“You’ve now got eighth-graders watching this and getting excited to be on the team when they make it to high school. So just know you’re passing that torch forward and influencing it. You never know, one of the people you inspire could be Mayor someday.”

Schick read a proclamation giving the Scholastic Team a proverbial pat on the back for demonstrating “exceptional dedication, discipline, and teamwork throughout the competitive season.”

“This remarkable accomplishment reflects not only academic excellence, but also strong leadership, character, and competitive integrity. Team members David Allen, Kaliya Chamberlain, Karysa Christensen, Troy Dailey, Brennan Duke, Jack Ellington, Noah Foster, Eve Harper, Callen Meier, Parker Melson, and Brynn Murphy have represented Colonial Beach High School and the Town of Colonial Beach with pride and distinction. The achievements of the Scholastic Team exemplify the values of hard work, unity, and determination that strengthen our schools and our town.

“Therefore, be it proclaimed that the Town Council of Colonial Beach, Virginia, hereby recognizes and congratulates the Colonial Beach High School Scholastic Team for winning the Super Region 1A/1B championships and commends them for their extraordinary accomplishment and service as ambassadors of our community.”

As the team gathered for pictures afterwards, Mayor Schick stated “Hopefully you’ll come back to the school years later and be able to look back on this moment. We are proud of all of you.”