For the third time since the competition began four years ago, NT students are heading to the National Japan Bowl in Washington, D.C., after taking first place at the Illinois Japan Bowl on Mar. 10 at North Central College in Naperville.

The Illinois Japan Bowl involves 47 teams of second, third, and fourth-year high school Japanese students competing in academic competitions that tested mastery of language, culture, history, geography, arts, current events, and pop culture.

Seniors Colleen Furth, Elliot Jung-Beeman, and Josh Lariosa won first place in the Level 4 category.  The students were coached by Japanese teacher Naomi Suzuki, known by her students as Suzuki Sensei, who leads the Japanese program at New Trier. The team met on several occasions during and after school to prepare for the competition.

Now, the team is studying for the National Japan Bowl Competition that will take place in the nation’s capital on Apr. 12 and 13, at the same time as Washington’s popular annual Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival, which is a part of the famous National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Japan America Society of Chicago is covering the expenses of the team. At the National Japan Bowl,  the team will compete against schools from around the country.

In 2016, the New Trier team captured 5th place trophies at the National Japan Bowl. This year’s team is looking forward to the opportunity to meet Japanese students from around the country, and take in the sights, tastes, and sounds from the Cherry Blossom Festival along the Tidal Basin.