A team of five students from Barrington High School recently captured third place at the LifeSmarts National Championship. 

Barrington’s Aidan Hurlock, Stella Densley, Shaswat Singh, Paul Dulchinos and Quincy Burke earned a trip to the national competition by winning the LifeSmarts state championship in February. 

LifeSmarts is a program of the National Consumers League — it tests high school students’ knowledge of consumer awareness with subjects such as personal finance, health and safety, consumer rights and responsibility, technology and workforce preparation, and the environment. 

At the National LifeSmarts Championship, the Barrington High School team squared off against a field of more than 40 other teams from across the country. Barrington advanced through the competition, eventually reaching the national championship semifinals where it was matched up against a team from Maryknoll School, a private school located in Honolulu, Hawaii. 

The two teams were tied after the first round of questions and Hawaii, which held a slim lead, 85-80, after the second round, eventually edged out Barrington

Barrington High School LifeSmarts Coach April Macintosh said her team gave a great effort at nationals.

Hawaii went on to win the national title, defeating Pennsylvania in the finals. 

LifeSmarts Program Director Lisa Hertzberg said the nationals included some riveting showdowns. 

“I commend all of the students who competed hard and demonstrated such a breadth of consumer knowledge,” Hertzberg said. “They are the best and brightest from across the country, and they should all be proud of their accomplishments.”

Each student on the first-place team received a $1,500 scholarship; second-place team members received $1,000 scholarships; and third-place team members received $750 scholarships. Team members who placed fourth received gift cards.