Upper School Clubs & Affinity Groups

For the first time in program history, Sandy Spring Friends School’s Quiz Bowl Team has been crowned champions of the Montgomery Academic Beltway League (MABL), finishing a remarkable Championship Round with a perfect 4–0 record against the region’s top academic teams. The championship match pitted SSFS against defending champions and top-seeded Montgomery Blair High School in a dramatic contest worthy of the occasion. Read details of the match below, and don't forget to watch the opening round of WETA's It's Academic on Sat., March 7 at 10 AM or 7 PM (also streaming on WETA’s YouTube channel after March 7). 

SSFS Torch Rep to Student Life Sophia P. '27 recently filmed and edited video interviews highlighting some of our Upper School student club leaders. The club leaders share why they started their club, and what they do throughout the year. 

SSFS Upper School students have fantastic opportunities to be a part of academic clubs and co-curriculars that have earned local and national recognition for their wins against much larger schools with larger programs. Two of these clubs, Quiz Bowl and the Speech and Debate Team, share their early-season 2025 updates and successes, below.

Sources of Strength Upper School Peer Leaders were recently recognized with a 2025 Intervener Award from the "Don’t Be A Bully Project" for their work in promoting positive messages and outreach in our community. Later this year, one of our peer leaders will speak at their Intervener Training to share their experience of being part of Sources of Strength (SOS), a nationwide wellness initiative that trains middle and upper school peer leaders in supporting their classmates and sponsoring campaigns about resiliency factors. 

On Sun., Nov. 9, SSFS Quiz Bowl team members Justin C. ’26, Nate M. ‘26, and Ian D. ‘26, accompanied by their fearless coach Eduardo Polon, varsity teammates, and a host of SSFS supporters, won the opening round of WETA's It's Academic for the 11th time in 13 years! SSFS scored 575 points in defeating Whitman High School (495 points) and Landon School (445 points). On the heels of this success, the SSFS Quiz Bowl Team delivered its most commanding performance of the season on Nov. 13, completing a decisive 3–0–0 sweep in Round 3 of the Montgomery Academic Beltway League (MABL) with victories over Wheaton, Gaithersburg, and Sherwood high schools. The results propelled the ‘Beests to an impressive 17–2–0 overall record and 8–1–0 mark in the MABL. See below for details!

Nowhere is the SSFS “small but mighty” theme more evident than in the interscholastic accomplishments of our Upper School. The SSFS Quiz Bowl team, a perennial powerhouse, continues to earn outsized accomplishments, competing at the very highest level against Goliaths from across the county. Most recently, the SSFS Quiz Bowl Team traveled to Walter Johnson High School for Round 5 of the Montgomery Academic Beltway League (MABL)—the final and most demanding round of the regular season, where they won every round against three of Montgomery County’s most accomplished academic teams (#3 Bethesda–Chevy Chase A, #4 Magruder, and #1 Blair A). 

On February 5, the SSFS Quiz Bowl Team traveled to Richard Montgomery High School for the Semifinal Round of the Montgomery Academic Beltway League (MABL) Playoffs. After earning their playoff berth for the 13th consecutive season and entering the round as the league’s #2 overall seed, SSFS faced the high-stakes reality of postseason competition. The team rose to the challenge in commanding fashion. SSFS finished the Semifinal Round undefeated at 3–0. Beyond the scoreboard, the round showcased the team’s preparation, resilience, and trust in one another. See below for the MABL post-match summary by Quiz Bowl Coach Eduardo Polón.

The Upper School student Clubs Fair featured a diverse assortment of talents, passions, and interests on display, with something for everyone!

The Quiz Bowl Team earned an impressive It’s Academic semifinal-round victory against GDS and BCC on Sat., Apr. 5. From an original field of 81 schools, the team advanced as one of the top three school teams in the Greater Washington DC Metropolitan Area Championship round. On Sun., Apr. 6, they finished their season in 2nd place overall. With an overall record of 32-7-0 across all interscholastic formats of play (including earning the bronze medal in the extremely competitive MABL league), SSFS once again finished fittingly among the top academic programs in the Metropolitan DC area.

The SSFS Speech Team participated in the 85-school WACFL Speech League Metropolitan Championship (MetroFinal) on Sat., Mar. 1. After only the 4th year of competing, our team ended the 2024-25 season and MetroFinal as Co-Champions (SSFS and Our Lady of Good Counsel tied with 192 points)! SSFS students qualified for Nationals in six events, with seven other students selected as alternates. Huge congratulations go to the participants and coaches!

On Friday, Feb. 7, Matthew B. '26 represented SSFS at DECA's State Career Development Conference on Friday. This is SSFS's first year to participate in this business competition. Matthew finished in first place in the Quick Serve Restaurant Management Individual Event. As a result, he will be representing Maryland at the International Career Development Conference this April in Florida. Congratulations, Matthew!

From arts to affinity groups; chess to change-makers; engineering to entomology, and so much more, the US Clubs Fair showcased the interests, passions, and talents of our students. 

Ten Upper School students participated in the annual GDS Student Summit on Sexual Assault & Consent, where high school students from the DMV region and beyond gather to raise awareness and promote change on a national level, helping to eradicate sexual assault and promote a culture of consent-based interaction. Recently, these students led peer-to-peer presentations to help educate and empower their classmates. 

The Quiz Bowl Team's #1 seed "My Quizzical Romance" took on the #2 seed, "The Ghostbuzzsters" to win the Quiz Bowl Cup. Congrats to the Ghostbuzzers for their cup win, and to the sophomore team, who also prevailed in the All-Star Assembly!

Finishing 22-3-1 in the MABL, including victories in the Championship Round over Whitman, Wootton, and Rockville high schools, SSFS capped off another remarkable academic competition conference season. Next up, and sporting an impressive overall record of 29-6-0, our 'Beestly Quizards are headed back to WETA's television studios in Arlington, VA to compete in the It’s Academic semifinals on Sat., Apr. 5.

After recently finishing the Montgomery Academic Beltway League (MABL)'s regular season in first place (!!), the SSFS Quiz Bowl team qualified for this season’s MABL Championship Round. Two days later, the team advanced to the semifinals for the seventh time in 11 years on It’s Academic.

Fourteen members of the Speech Team competed at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania Liberty Bell Classic Speech & Debate Invitational, where five SSFS students made it to quarter- and semifinals, and four qualified for the Tournament of Champions in KY. 

The Upper School's Quiz Bowl, Speech, and Debate Teams have continued their successes this year, competing against teams from much larger schools and demonstrating that SSFS can stand toe-to-toe with top-rated programs! SSFS's Quiz Bowl Team has maintained an undefeated record (15-0-0) in the Montgomery Academic Beltway League (MABL), defeating much larger teams from MCPS, and five members of the Speech and Debate Team were named finalists, semifinalists, and quarterfinalists at the George Mason Patriot Games Speech & Debate Invitational. Read on for details!

The Upper School Quiz Bowl team remains undefeated and is in 1st place in the MABL conference, and the SSFS Speech team tied for first place in the recent WACF league's speech and debate competitions!