Difference between revisions of "Matt Laird"

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'''Mathew J. Laird''' is a former coach at [[Loyola Academy]] and [[Stevenson]]. His involvement in quizbowl ended when he was charged with sexual crimes involving minors in 2018.<ref name=charge>https://www.chicagotribune.com/2018/10/24/former-north-shore-teacher-charged-with-sexual-assault-child-pornography-held-without-bond/</ref> He was convicted the following year and is currently serving a 35-year sentence in the Illinois prison system.<ref name=prison>https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/glenview/ct-gla-guilty-sex-assault-child-pornography-tl-0425-story.html</ref>
  
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Laird competed in high school at [[Loyola Academy]] in Wilmette, Illinois, graduating in 2004. As an undergraduate at Loyola University, he worked at Loyola Academy as an assistant coach to [[David Riley]]. In 2011, after a year as a teacher's aide at the school, he became an English teacher and took over as quizbowl coach upon Riley's retirement. He held both of these positions until 2014, when he temporarily left teaching. During the 2016–17 school year, he was an official assistant coach for the quizbowl club at [[Stevenson]]. The next year, he was hired as a special education teacher at North Shore Academy in Highland Park, Illinois. He worked in this capacity for a little more than a year before being fired after police notified the school of the criminal investigation against him.
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| width="160px"| <font style="font-size:9pt">'''Mathew J. Laird'''</font>
 
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! align=center colspan=2 | [[Image:Laird_Presents_All_State.jpg]]
 
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! align=center colspan=2 |''Laird at the 2008 IHSSBCA Awards Banquet''
 
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|'''Current team: [[Loyola Academy]]'''
 
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|'''Career record: 372-104'''
 
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|'''Former school(s):'''
 
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|'''Other leadership:''' IHSSBCA Publicity Chair (2006-2010)
 
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IHSSBCA All-State Program Coordinator (2007-2013)
 
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'''Mathew J. Laird''' is a question writer and coach.  He is a principal co-founder of [[Aegis Questions]], Inc. Despite his relatively young age, his enthusiasm, knowledge of the rules, and excellent moderating have earned him the respect normally only afforded to much older and seasoned coaches.
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Outside of coaching, Laird was involved in Illinois high school quizbowl as a moderator and administrator. Prior to becoming head coach at Loyola Academy, he was a moderator at the [[IHSA]] state championship tournament and directed the [[IHSSBCA All State Program]].
  
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==High School Career==
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==References==
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Laird played his entire career at [[Loyola Academy]] in Wilmette, Illinois, and as a senior started on one of Loyola's best teams.  The 2004 squad was considered one of the best in the state, and was favored to win its Regional and Sectional to advance to the State Finals for the first time since 1996.  Unfortunately, the Regional Championship did not go according to plan, and the Ramblers were upset by an up-and-coming [[Maine South]] team.
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==Coaching==
 
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Laird graduated and began attending Loyola University in Chicago, but rather than attempting to start a program there, he returned to Loyola Academy, and began acting in the capacity of an assistant coach to longtime head coach [[David Riley]].  While he continued his studies in preparation for teaching, Laird continued to commute to help coach the frosh-soph team, while helping with the varsity on occasion.  He added an infusion of energy that greatly helped the team.  As Coach Riley began to experience health problems, Laird became an even bigger asset to the program. Upon Riley's retirement in 2011, Laird became the head coach at Loyola. He began teaching English at the school the same year.
 
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In 2006, Laird inaugurated an annual match between Loyola Academy and Maine South.  The match had been born of some close matches that dated back to the loss dealt to Laird's 2004 team.  The "Bloodstone Cup" match lacked only an appropriate trophy, which Laird himself provided.  He secured a crystal goblet, to which he affixed red stones (suggestive of the maroon colors for Loyola, and the red for Maine South).  He then obtained bloodstones, hand tumbled them, and added them to the goblet.  He obtained an appropriate display case which he stained by hand.
 
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In Laird's second year coaching, he coached his Varsity team to third place finishes at both HSNCT and NSC.
 
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==[[Aegis Questions]]==
 
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In 2005, Laird was present at the [[New Trier Varsity]] Tournament, and was a part of the conversation to start a new question company based on writing quality pyramidal questions.  From that conversation, [[Aegis Questions]] was formed, the first Illinois-based question company that specialized in pyramidal questions.
 
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==Officiating==
 
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Always considered an excellent moderator, Laird has volunteered for the past several years at the NAQT [[HSNCT]] in Rosemont, Illinois.  In 2007, he was invited to join the moderating corps at the IHSA State Championship Tournament, making him the youngest moderator to ever read at the State Finals.
 
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==[[IHSSBCA]]==
 
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For the 2007-08 season, Laird took over as coordinator of the [[IHSSBCA All State Program]], an audacious task that is perhaps the most complex program run by the [[IHSSBCA]].
 
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In March and April 2009, Laird and [[Jonah Greenthal]] conducted a survey of current and former Illinois high school players, which featured questions about changing the unusual Illinois bonus format to an ACF-style one and about changing the distribution of certain minor categories such as driver's ed and agriculture. The survey was sent to the [[IHSSBCA]] and [[IHSA]] Scholastic Bowl advisory committee with the intention of accompanying a similar survey the IHSSBCA took of coaches. Its results are available [http://www.hsquizbowl.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=7681 here].
 
  
 
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[[Category:Stevenson]]

Latest revision as of 13:03, 28 October 2025

Mathew J. Laird is a former coach at Loyola Academy and Stevenson. His involvement in quizbowl ended when he was charged with sexual crimes involving minors in 2018.[1] He was convicted the following year and is currently serving a 35-year sentence in the Illinois prison system.[2]

Laird competed in high school at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois, graduating in 2004. As an undergraduate at Loyola University, he worked at Loyola Academy as an assistant coach to David Riley. In 2011, after a year as a teacher's aide at the school, he became an English teacher and took over as quizbowl coach upon Riley's retirement. He held both of these positions until 2014, when he temporarily left teaching. During the 2016–17 school year, he was an official assistant coach for the quizbowl club at Stevenson. The next year, he was hired as a special education teacher at North Shore Academy in Highland Park, Illinois. He worked in this capacity for a little more than a year before being fired after police notified the school of the criminal investigation against him.

Outside of coaching, Laird was involved in Illinois high school quizbowl as a moderator and administrator. Prior to becoming head coach at Loyola Academy, he was a moderator at the IHSA state championship tournament and directed the IHSSBCA All State Program.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.chicagotribune.com/2018/10/24/former-north-shore-teacher-charged-with-sexual-assault-child-pornography-held-without-bond/
  2. ↑ https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/glenview/ct-gla-guilty-sex-assault-child-pornography-tl-0425-story.html
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