Two teams from Severn River Middle School (SRMS) placed in the top 10 in the state's Black Saga Competition, a statewide academic competition about African-American history.

The Black Saga event was held March 17 at Towson University and featured 55 teams from across the state. 

Among those teams, two from SRMS went on to the championship round. These students were seventh-graders Jasper Frazee, Ethan O’Malley and Phillip Schofield, who placed second overall in the state. Sixth-graders Johnny Bernhardt, Brian Kinsey and Sam Sheats placed eighth in the state. 

In some of the final heated moments of the championship round, Gov. Martin O'Malley made an appearance, surprising everyone there.

The governor offered his support for the Black Saga and the importance of learning about the country's history, according to Ann O'Malley, a parent coordinator for SRMS. 

A few weeks later on April 15, the top 10 middle school teams were honored at an awards banquet at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.

In addition to the second-place team receiving trophies, plaques and $200 each,  members of the team were honored separately for an annual “This Is Your Black Saga Life” award.

Jasper Frazee, Ethan O’Malley and Phillip Schofield were selected to receive this award for being some of the only students to ever achieve a perfect score in the final round.

The Black Saga Competition was created by Charles M. Christian, author of Black Saga: The African American Experience. The goal of the competition is to inspire all students to learn a more inclusive American history, according to a release.