Your passport to global affairs

Academic WorldQuest 

Academic WorldQuest is a fun, fast-paced team game testing students’ knowledge of international affairs. In the game, four-person teams compete by answering questions divided into ten theme categories. The program tests players’ knowledge of subjects such as current international politics, geography, global economics, history, forms of government, capitals of the world, citizenship and the U.S. Constitution, ancient civilizations, U.S. history, the U.S. in world affairs, world leaders, world cultures, and more.

Some 50 World Affairs Councils, including the Naples Council on World Affairs (NCWA), hold AWQ competitions for students in their communities. The winner is the team with the most correct answers. One winning high school team is invited to represent their high school, city, and local World Affairs Council at the Carlos and Malú Alvarez Academic WorldQuest National Competition in Washington DC, held each spring. 

For more than a decade, NCWA has sponsored AWQ competitions in two programs in Collier County -- one for public and independent high schools and the second for middle schools. The Middle School AWQ was on March 1, and the High School AWQ was March 29, this year, both at the Community School of Naples. 

        Michael Finkel
          AWQ Chair

Try your hand at answering the study questions, and see how you score! Click here for the 2025 study guide.

Aubrey Rogers WorldQuest Team Wins Fourth in National Competition

A talented team of sophomores from Aubrey Rogers High School earned fourth place in the nation at the prestigious Carlos and Malú Alvarez Academic WorldQuest™ National Competition, held Monday, April 28, in Washington, D.C.

Hosted by the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA), the event brought together 225 students from 45 high schools nationwide for a weekend of global learning, cultural exchange, and academic competition.

This year’s top finishers were:

●First Place (84 points): Cedar Cliff High School, World Affairs Council of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

●Second Place (83 points): Carnegie Vanguard High School, World Affairs Council of Greater Houston

●Third Place (78 points): Flower Mound High School, World Affairs Council of Dallas-Fort Worth

●Fourth Place (77 points, tie-breaker): Aubrey Rogers High School, representing the Naples Council on World Affairs (NCWA)

The Aubrey Rogers team, shown above, from left, Bennett Bozman, Luke Brown, Alex Ewy and Aaron Bozman, achieved this impressive finish in only their second year competing at the national level. The team was co-sponsored by NCWA and WACA.

“We’re happy, but we’re already thinking about winning next year,” said team captain Bennett Bozman.

The team earned their spot at nationals after winning first place at the NCWA’s local Academic WorldQuest competition, triumphing over 21 teams from six Collier County high schools. They repeated their 2024 success when, as freshmen, they became the first-ever freshman team to claim the local title. Notably, Aaron, Bennett, and Luke also led a winning middle school team in 2023, laying the foundation for an extraordinary three-year winning streak.

“I’m proud of them," said Nicholas Danyo, social studies teacher and team coach. "They performed incredibly well and set high expectations for themselves. Their dedication and hard work truly paid off.”

NCWA has sponsored Academic WorldQuest for high schools and middle schools in the SWFL region for more than a decade. The competitions test student teams’ knowledge of a variety of topics, such as global affairs, geography, international organizations and current events. Questions are posed to teams, who are given a short period of time to give their answers. Scores are based on the number of correct answers.

“NCWA is proud to support these inspiring young leaders,” said Mark Walchak, NCWA’s school programs chair. “This program serves as a launchpad for students interested in diplomacy, international business, and public policy, and we are honored to be part of their journey.”

Academic WorldQuest is WACA’s flagship youth education initiative, engaging more than 3,000 high school students annually in competitions across over 40 local World Affairs Councils. Students prepare for months outside of regular school hours.

The Carlos and Malú Alvarez Academic WorldQuest National Competition is made possible through the generous support of sponsors and the WACA AWQ Endowment, established with a $10 million gift by Carlos Alvarez, a San Antonio businessman and philanthropist and former member of the WACA board of directors who passed away in 2024, and his wife. The Aubrey Rogers team's Washington experience was sponsored by both WACA and NCWA.

In addition to the competition, students participated in embassy visits, attended expert briefings, and connected with peers who share a passion for world affairs. The event is designed to expand students’ global awareness and spark future careers in international relations, diplomacy, and global development.

In the local competition in March, the team outperformed 84 students from 21 teams across six Collier County high schools. Notably, this group made history last year by becoming the first-ever freshman team to win the regional AWQ title. Aaron, Bennett, and Luke were also members of the Middle School AWQ championship team in 2023, demonstrating consistent excellence in global knowledge.

"The credit is all theirs. Their dedication, motivation, and commitment are unmatched," said Danyo. He praised the students’ camaraderie and strategic preparation, noting, "They are good friends, great sports, and work seamlessly together. Each team member leverages their individual strengths, studying each AWQ topic in-depth on their own time."

In the local competition, Gulf Coast High School claimed second place with a strong team effort from seniors Selma Parfene, Isabella Lala, Everett Tedrow, and Emiliana Aguilera, all of whom have studied in special programs in the U.S. or abroad under NCWA’s summer scholarship program. Third place was awarded to another Aubrey Rogers team featuring Arlind Agollari, Christopher Fontana, Adrian Alvarez Garcia, and Albar Setiawan. All winners received medals and Amazon gift cards from the NCWA.

For more details, click here.

NCWA's Middle School Academic WorldQuest Gets Students Involved

 For the second year in a row, Community School of Naples’ top Academic WorldQuest team won NCWA's AWQ Middle School competition.

The event was held at the Community School’s gymnasium, drawing 97  competitors from 25 teams and four Naples middle schools. More than 100 parents, supporters and volunteers took part in the event.

The winning team included eighth graders John Fontana, captain; and Justin Cantor, Kayden Robinson and Steven Fontana. The Fontana brothers are twins. To achieve the championship, the students met after school to review general national and international affairs topics provided by NCWA.

“The students are the reason they are successful,” said coach Scott Miles. “We don’t coach. We get them involved. The Community School curriculum –geography, history, government – gives them the background.”

Community School of Naples won the Middle School Academic WorldQuest
competition sponsored by NCWA. At left is Mark Walchak, NCWA's school
programs chair, second from right is Mark Schwab, NCWA president, and at
far right is Scott Miles, team coach. Team members are John Fontana, Justin
Cantor, Kayden Robinson and Steven Fontana.

"It's a learning experience they can't get any other place," said Mikie Stroh, Collier County Schools social studies coordinator. “It’s an amazing experience for students to show their knowledge they are learning at school about the world.”

Second and third places went to Pine Ridge Middle School; and Oakridge Middle School, respectively. Pine Ridge’s team was Sidharth Kamath, Rylan Wise, Aditya Yadav and Julian Connor Bartruff and coach Darah Perini. Third Place went to Oakridge Middle School, with Arnav Dabas, Zeke Newbery, Tulip Sai Bheemanapalli and CJ Sauer, and coaches Andrea Polanco and Taylor Wilson. Collier County middle schools participating were Community School of Naples, Oakridge Middle School, North Naples Middle School and Pine Ridge Middle School.

For more than a decade, NCWA has hosted Academic WorldQuest competitions for middle schools and high schools in Southwest Florida. AWQ inspires high school students and teachers across the United States to embrace a culture of global engagement. Nationwide, more than 40 local World Affairs Councils host community Academic WorldQuest competitions throughout the year, engaging more than 3,000 students in schools across diverse geographic and economic lines.

Students competing in the 2025 Middle School Academic WorldQuest competition line up for a group photo.

2024 High School AWQ Results

Naples' newest school, Aubrey Rogers High School, won the NCWA High School Academic WorldQuest competition March 24, 2024, and traveled to Washington DC for the national competition in April. For the first time a group of four freshmen earned the champion's title. The local competition is sponsored by the Naples Council on World Affairs, and the national competition by the World Affairs Councils of America.

NCWA’s middle school AWQ took place at the Community School on March 2. The results were: Community School of Naples, first place; Pine Ridge Middle School, second place; Community School of Naples, third place.

For a copy of the press release announcing the winning teams, click here.

High School Academic WorldQuest Winners for 2024

First place in the High School Academic WorldQuest was won by a freshman team from Aubrey Rogers High School. From left are Mimi Gregory, NCWA Vice President for Programs; Meghan Joyce, team coach, also named NCWA Educator of the Year; students Aaron Bowman, Bennett Bowman, Luke Brown and Alex Ewy; and Jim Seymour, NCWA's manager of the competition. The Bozmans and Brown were on the team that won the AWQ Middle School championship in 2023. 

Second place winning team was from Gulf Coast High School. With Mimi Gregory, Vice President for Programs, left, is Emiliana Aguilera, Isabella Lala, Selma Parvenu, Everett Tedrow and Jim Seymour, manager of the competition. Not pictured is Sue Soulard, high school coach.

Taking third place in the High School AWQ competition was another team from Gulf Coast High School. From left is Mimi Gregory, NCWA Vice President for Programs, Quinn Fairbrother, Khang Lee, Katie Saadeh, Aiden Stein, and Jim Seymour, NCWA manager of the high school competition. Not shown is Sue Soulard, high school coach.

Middle school students prepare for the competition at the Community School of Naples.