SACO — Whether answering questions about space travel or foreign countries, the Academic WorldQuest team at Thornton Academy does it all.

After winning the state championship, Thornton is heading to the World Affairs Council of America National Competition on April 28 in Washington, DC.

Academic WorldQuest is the World Affairs Councils of America’s flagship youth education program. The World Affairs Councils of America describes it as a fun, fast-paced team competition for high school students. Since 2003, winning teams have traveled to Washington D.C. every April to vie for the national championship.

Thornton earned the trip to Washington after winning the Academic WorldQuest Maine title earlier this month. This annual competition tests students’ knowledge of world affairs and global literacy.

At the state competition, teams from schools around the state worked through six fast paced rounds of questions on world history, geography, current events, and special categories on the Arctic Council, Fighting Global Famine, and the country of Ethiopia.

For the third consecutive year, Thornton Academy dominated the state competition - earning 57 out of 59 points.

Thornton Academy, led by Coach Mike Nelson, will represent Maine at the national finals in Washington D.C. for the fifth time in 7 years.