-Hillary Howard: From the Casey Studio at WETA, students from Justice, Sidwell Friends, and Gaithersburg meet today on "It's Academic."

[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ ♪♪ Hello, everybody!

I'm Hillary Howard.

Welcome to "It's Academic," the world's longest-running TV quiz show produced by Altman Productions and WETA.

[ Cheers and applause ] -Man: Support for "It's Academic" has been provided by the following... -Man: Call us different.

-Woman: Different in where we come from.

-Man: Where we're going.

-Woman: In how we think.

-Man: But the same in our dreams for tomorrow.

-Woman: Driven by the pull of possibility.

-Man: To inspire.

-Woman: To think fearlessly.

-Woman 2: To protect and to heal the planet.

-We know the world will change.

-Man: Together... -Woman: We will be the ones to change it.

-Man: Call Mason different.

All... -Woman: Together.

-Woman 2: Different.

♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] -Hey, guys, we're just so happy you've all joined today, and we start as we always do with the Fast Start.

Questions are worth 10 points up or down.

First team to buzz in gets to answer and you guys watching at home, the students don't see what you do on the screens.

Here we go.

All your answers must begin with the answers "BE" That's "B" as in boy, "E".

-Yep, Justice.

-Bern.

-Hillary: Correct.

-Yep, Sidwell.

-Bernoulli?

-Hillary: No, Beaufort.

-Yep, Sidwell.

-Bear.

-Hillary: Bear, it is.

Anybody?

Yeah, Gaithersburg.

-[ Indistinct whispering ] -Hillary: No?

-Bernard?

-Hillary: No.

Kind of.

Tim Berners-Lee, so you got the Ber part.

This red, supergiant star is the second brightest-- -Yes, Justice.

-Betelgeuse?

-Hillary: Yeah, that's it.

-Yep, Justice.

-Answer?

Three-- -Bezos?

-Hillary: Yeah.

Bezos.

Whew, you got it.

Yes, Justice.

-Beryllium?

-Hillary: Yeah.

Nicely done.

-Justice.

-Beetle.

-Hillary: Beetle, it is.

-Justice.

-Bengal.

-Hillary: Yeah.

-Yep.

Gaithersburg.

-Belfast.

-Hillary:Belfast, it is.

Alright.

That was our very fast, Fast Start.

Let's take a look at the scores.

♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Alright, let's meet Team One, Justice High School from Fairfax County.

And the first person we get to greet is Lena.

-Hey, Lena.

-Hi.

I'm a sophomore at Justice.

-And I play flag football.

-Hillary: Very nice.

-Caroline.

-My name is Caroline.

I am a senior at Justice High School.

This is my second time on "It's Academic".

And when I'm not doing this, I am a captain for the Justice rowing team.

-Hillary: Oh, awesome.

Nice being on the water.

-Hiya, Mia.

-Hi, I'm Mia.

This is my second year on "It's Academic", And I also play volleyball, basketball, and track.

-Hillary: Alright, guys, as you undoubtedly know, questions are worth 20 points.

Nothing off for a wrong answer.

-Caroline: No buzzing.

-Hillary: No buzzing.

That's correct.

Get The Tsar A Toga.

You can get 20 points if you find here the name of what 1777 battle in New York State that was a turning point in the revolution.

-Saratoga.

-Hillary: Yes.

Which of these adjectives would be the best synonym for lukewarm?

-[ Indistinct whispering ] -Tepid?

-Hillary: Tepid, it is.

You can rearrange the letters in tin room to name what Civil War ironclad ship that battled the Merrimack?

-Monitor?

-Hillary: Monitor is right.

Here you have three different measures of weight.

Please arrange them in order, beginning with the lightest.

-[ Indistinct whispering ] -Two, one, three.

-Hillary: Uh, no.

Three, two, one.

Kilogram, twelve ounces, one pound.

One of the oldest similes in the English language.

This phrase was popularized by what 14th-century poet -who wrote "The Canterbury Tales?"

-Chaucer.

-Hillary: Yeah.

That's it.

Justice, 240 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] Over to Sidwell Friends, home of the Quakers.

Alexander, what should we know about you?

-Hi, I'm Alexander.

I'm a junior.

I do cross-country, and I like to cook.

-Hillary: Ooh.

What do you like to cook?

-Um... -Hillary: [ Laughs ] It's not a trick question.

-I like to bake a lot.

-Hillary: Alright.

-Yeah.

-Hillary: Baking is good.

Hiya, Louie.

-I'm Louie.

I'm a senior.

I also run cross-country, and track, -and I play violin.

-Hillary: Nice.

-Hi, João.

-I'm João.

I'm a senior.

This is my second year on "It's Academic".

I'm a photographer, and I love to play chess.

-Hillary: Wonderful.

Guys, here we go.

This may have been advice to a Civil War general, but if you look carefully, you'll find the hidden name.

-Of what internal organ of the body?

-Spleen.

-Hillary: Yeah.

Which one of these words would best describe someone who is nimble?

-Agile.

-Hillary: That's right.

This might be a baseball headline in Boston, but the letters can be rearranged to name what second book of the "Bible"?

-Exodus.

-Hillary: Exodus, it is.

These patriotic songs were written in different centuries.

Please arrange them in chronological order.

-[ Indistinct whispering ] -Two, three, one.

-Hillary: That's it.

"Yankee Doodle", "Star Spangled Banner", "God Bless America".

This term was used by Sir Isaac Newton to describe what celestial phenomena such as Halley's that returns at regular intervals?

-A comet?

-Hillary: That's it.

And that does it.

Nicely done, Sidwell Friends, 200 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] Over to Team Three, Gaithersburg from Montgomery County, home of the Trojans.

Hiya, Veronika.

-Hi.

I'm Veronika.

I'm a junior, and I'm part of the biomedical sciences program at Gaithersburg.

-Hillary: Wow, that's really cool.

-Keith?

Hey.

-Hi.

My name is Keith.

I'm a senior in Gaithersburg High, -and I like to play volleyball.

-Hillary: Alright.

-And the piano as well, too.

-Hillary: Oh, piano's lovely.

-And Muhib, hello.

-Hi.

My name is Muhib.

I'm a senior at Gaithersburg High, and I enjoy soccer.

-Hillary: Alright, guys, here we go.

Study this sentence and see if you can find the hidden name of what German engineer who developed an internal combustion engine bearing his name.

-Diesel?

-Hillary: Diesel is right.

If a woman is very lively and animated, you would best describe her by which of these adjectives?

-[ Indistinct whispering ] -Number one?

-Hillary: That's it.

Vivacious.

This phrase is for the birds, but the letters can be arranged to name what sort of 14-line verse form?

-A sonnet?

-Hillary: Yeah, that's it.

Sonnet.

Don't be a doubting Thomas.

Instead, see if you can rearrange these three Thomases in correct chronological order.

-[ Indistinct whispering ] -Three, one, two?

-Hillary: Nope.

Three, two, one.

Becket, Paine, Edison.

This line from Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" is spoken by what small boy, the son of Bob Cratchit?

-[ Indistinct whispering ] -Hillary: Want me to help you out?

It was Tiny Tim.

-Oh.

-Oh.

-Hillary: Alright, Gaithersburg.

Nice job.

160 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] That does it for Mix & Match.

We have the Picture Perfect round up next.

See you in a minute.

[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ In 1961, nine high school students walked into a TV studio in Washington, D.C.

to film the very first episode of "It's Academic".

-Good evening and welcome to "It's Academic", the weekly program.

-Hillary: Little did they know that over the course of the next six decades, thousands of high school students would follow them onto the set, and into broadcast history.

-Susan Altman: I think what has kept "It's Academic" on the air for so long, You had strong support from the schools, and we've had a strong community support.

-There aren't a ton of outlets to, like, be competitive in an academic setting.

-It teaches composure, knowledge, wisdom.

-And it's like an engaging, fun quiz show.

But it also teaches you so much about the world and so many different facets.

-Hillary: Today, "It's Academic" is the world's longest-running TV quiz show.

Thank you, students, teachers, viewers, and fans.

And remember, "It's Academic"!

♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] And now we're talking all about pictures, right?

This is the Picture Perfect round.

Questions are worth 20 points up or down.

First team to buzz in gets to answer.

Here we go.

Located in the American city of New Orleans, this is the French maid of Orléans.

-Yeah, Sidwell.

-Joan of Arc?

-Joan of Arc is right.

This was the observation of what American who took over the presidency when Richard Nixon resigned.

-Sidwell.

-Ford.

-Hillary: Yeah.

That's it.

Egrets like this are a common sight in what "E" initial national park that covers over-- -Justice.

-Everglades?

-Hillary: Everglades is right.

What is the distance between these two points?

-Yes, Justice.

-Mia: Eight.

-Hillary: Eight is correct.

-Yeah.

Sidwell.

-Ida B. Wells?

-Hillary: No.

Martin Luther King Jr.

This picture is by Maria Merian, who studied tropical insects in Dutch Guiana, a South American colony that is now?

-Sidwell.

-Suraname?

-Hillary: Yes, that's correct.

Glenn Seaborg helped discover several elements, including which one whose symbol is Pu?

Yep, Gaithersburg.

Answer.

-Three, two, one.

-Uranium?

-No.

Plutonium.

Close.

This 19th-century Japanese print depicts what flowers whose name suggests a part of the eye?

-Yes, Justice.

-Caroline: Iris.

-Hillary: Iris is right.

And that does it for Picture Perfect.

Let's look at these scores.

♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Alright, guys, it's time to meet the coaches and administrators who helped prepare these students for "It's Academic".

And we begin with Justice, home of the Wolves.

Caroline, who's with you?

-With us, we have our director of student activities, Coach White, and our Scholastic Bowl coach, Coach Kao.

We also have our lovely alternate Reem, and we would like to thank our families.

-Hillary: Awesome, wonderful.

And the shirts are representative of what?

Anything, or just cool?

-They're just Hawaiian shirts our coach made, so that we could all match.

-Hillary: Okay, [laughs].

Awesome.

Over to Sidwell Friends.

Who's with you, Louie?

-I'd like to thank Miss Randolph and Miss Jordan, our coach.

And I'd also like to thank Justin, our alternate.

-Alright.

Great.

Hi, Justin.

And over to Gaithersburg.

Keith, who's standing behind you?

-I'd like to thank Mr.

Richter.

He is our AP biology teacher in our school.

Honestly, a great teacher.

I'd also like to thank our alternates for being here, along with our teachers and families for supporting us throughout this entire thing.

-Wonderful.

Thank you so much.

[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ Now that we've met everybody, we can dive into the Packet round.

Justice, you answer questions first.

Sidwell Friends, which packet should they answer questions from?

-Three.

-Three.

Alright.

And if all the questions are correct, there is a... -25 point bonus.

-Hillary: Oh, I love that.

Alright, guys, here we go.

So that he could see the North Pole from the ground as well as space, what American was the first man to walk on the moon, and traveled to the Arctic in 1985?

-Armstrong?

-Hillary: Yeah.

Although Montana is known for its warm hospitality, it's the site of a national park named for what sort of slow moving masses of ice and rock?

-Glacier.

-Hillary: Yes.

Euclid's mathematical teachings were collected in a volume with what one-word title that also refers to the contents of Mendeleev's periodic table?

-[ Indistinct whispering ] -Elements?

-Hillary: Elements, it is.

Here's your science question.

When a fat is heated with lye solution, a process takes place which is known as which of these?

-[ Indistinct whispering ] -The second one?

-Hillary: The second one is right.

Saponification.

When people speak of the left bank in Paris, they mean the left bank of what river that runs through the city.

-The Seine?

-Hillary: The Seine.

Yeah.

The longest war in U.S.

history was fought in what Central Asian country that's the setting for Khaled Hosseini's novel, "The Kite Runner"?

-[ Indistinct whispering ] -Afghanistan?

-Hillary: That's right.

Here's your math question.

Please perform the indicated operation, giving your answer as a positive integer.

-[ Indistinct whispering ] -505?

-Hillary: That's right.

The first country in the world to grant legal rights to nature in its constitution is what South American nation -where Quito is the capital?

-Ecuador.

-Ecuador.

Is it?

Whoo!

25-point bonus for Justice.

[ Cheers and applause ] Sidwell Friends, your turn to play.

Gaithersburg packet one or two?

-One.

-Let's go one.

-Hillary: One.

Alright.

Here we go.

Sidwell.

The House of the Golden Bracelet provided a golden opportunity for archaeologists excavating ruins in what "P" initialed city buried by the eruption -of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD?

-Pompeii?

-Hillary: Pompeii.

Yeah.

Formed by a thin layer of water on a salt flat, the world's largest natural mirror, 80 miles across, reflects the high peaks of what mountain chain running the length of-- -Andes.

-Hillary: Yeah.

Very nice.

Had the technology been available then, there would have surely been an Ops for Ops.

The wife of what Roman god, whose name identifies the sixth planet from the sun?

-[ Indistinct whispering ] -Neptune?

-Hillary: No, it's Saturn.

Here's your science question.

Members of which of these have an exoskeleton of chitin?

-[ Indistinct whispering ] -Arthropoda?

-Hillary: Arthropoda's right.

A book titled "The Red Daughter" is a fictionalized account of the life of Svetlana, the daughter of what World War Two Soviet dictator?

-Joseph Stalin?

-Hillary: Yeah.

World War Two was real, but "The War Of The Worlds" is a science fiction story by what English author?

-Wells?

-Hillary: Wells is right.

Here's your math question.

What is the value of this expression?

-20.

-Yeah.

Very nice.

And finally, Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi spent years living in exile in places like what -South American nation where-- -Mexico?

-No, where Montevideo is capital.

-Oh.

-The answer is Uruguay.

Alright, Sidwell Friends, 360 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] And that leaves packet number two for Gaithersburg.

A human history of our deadliest predator is the partial title of a book about what insect that can cause malaria?

-Mosquitoes.

-Hillary: That's it.

The Lafayette is buried in Paris.

He lies under soil brought here from what 1775 Massachusetts battle site linked to Breed's Hill?

-Bunker Hill?

-Hillary: Bunker Hill it is.

In 2001, astronomers discovered a planetary system similar to our sun's in what constellation, sometimes called the Great Bear?

-Ursa Major?

-Hillary: Yeah.

Nice.

Here's your science question.

The isotope of oxygen with atomic weight 17 contains how many protons?

-[ Indistinct whispering ] -Go ahead, 17.

-17?

-Hillary: No.

It's eight.

A journalist named John O'Sullivan is credited with coining what two-word phrase, claiming the U.S.

was fated to expand across the entire continent?

-Manifest Destiny.

-Hillary: That is right.

Though the "Arabian Nights" stories date back to the eighth century, it wasn't until 1701 that the story featured what character who dealt so well with 40 thieves?

-Anybody?

-Aladdin?

-Hillary: No.

Ali Baba.

Here's your math question.

-Okay.

-Hillary: Solve for x, if y equals one.

-Four.

-Hillary: Four is right.

Unlike U.S.

culture, the groom's family usually pays for the wedding in what Southeast Asian kingdom, whose capital is Bangkok?

-Thailand.

-Hillary: Thailand, it is.

Gaithersburg, 260 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] That does it for Picture Perfect, which means the Grab Bag is next.

Keep it here.

♪♪ "It's Academic" has been on the air for nearly 70 years.

Over the decades, we've showcased thousands of students from all over the D.C.

area.

Today, "It's Academic" continues to celebrate education, and remains a critical part of WETA's mission-focused programming.

With the loss of federal funding for public media, we need your help now more than ever to support "It's Academic".

Please make a donation and become a friend of "It's Academic" today and help keep "It's Academic" on the air and streaming for our students and their futures.

♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Time for the Grab Bag round.

Anything can happen in this round.

Questions are worth 20 points up or down.

First team to buzz in gets to answer.

Guys, the book "Beaten Down" worked up is a history of what modern American organizations like those in the AFLCIO?

Nobody?

Labor unions.

Music lovers would have been disappointed if "Swan Lake" had been the swan song of what prolific Russian composer?

-Yeah, Justice.

-Tchaikovsky?

-Hillary: Yeah.

That's it.

A book titled "Bullseye" hit the mark with its focus on what disease spread by deer ticks?

-Yes, Sidwell.

-Lyme disease.

-Hillary: That's correct.

On your screens, carefully preserved and on display at the Smithsonian is Winchester the favorite horse of what Union General nicknamed Little Phil?

The answer is... Philip Sheridan.

Believing windmills to be monsters with long-- -Yes, Sidwell.

-Don Quixote.

-Hillary: Yeah, that's it.

Exploding with a force 13,000 times greater than an atomic bomb, what volcano sent shock waves around the world?

-Yes, Sidwell.

-Krakatoa.

-Hillary: Yeah.

You'll increase your score if your initial response to this question is the three initials that Karel Capek used to what play about robots?

The answer is RUR.

On your screens... This was the uncompromising belief of what revolutionary known as the father of modern Turkey?

-Yes, Sidwell.

-Ataturk.

-Hillary: That's it.

Choice.

What type of electronic bonding is found in potassium iodide?

-Yep, Sidwell.

-Ionic.

-Hillary: Yeah, you're right.

It is ionic.

Edgar Allan Poe's poem, "The Bells" Yes, Sidwell.

Answer.

Going to go for it?

Notre Dame.

Talking about the bell ringer.

What is the length of the diagonal of a square whose area-- -Yes.

-Whose area is?

-Hillary: Was what?

-Whose area is?

-Hillary: I think I can't tell you because you buzzed in early.

I'm so sorry, but the answer is six.

-It was 18.

-On your screens... Native Americans wove blankets such as this one using wool and the bark of what tree also appears on Lebanon's flag?

-Yeah, Justice?

-Caroline: Pine?

-Hillary: Nope.

It's cedar.

A novel titled "The Day of the Jackal" is a fictional account of the attempted assassination of what real-life French president who had led the Free French during World War-- -Yes, Sidwell.

-Charles de Gaulle.

-Hillary: That is correct.

Nice.

The Parthenon was built during Athens so-called Golden Age, when the city was led by what great statesman?

-Pericles.

-Justice.

-Pericles.

-Hillary: Pericles is right.

In an unusual World War One ceremony, a decoration for bravery was awarded what carrier birds used to send-- -Justice.

-Pigeon.

-Hillary: Pigeons, it is.

Workers in a daycare center might seek the advice of what P.L.

Travers' character [ Buzzer ] A magical nanny who works for the Bank's family.

Don't answer now, but the answer was Mary Poppins, and that does it for the game.

[ Cheers and applause ] We'll have those scores for you in just a minute.

Stick around.

♪♪ Hey everybody, I'm Hillary Howard, host of "It's Academic" and I've got a question for you.

The answer is WETA+.

That's right.

WETA+ is a free and easy-to-use streaming service created specifically for D.C.

area viewers like you.

With WETA+, you can watch local shows like "It's Academic", or PBS hits like "Masterpiece" whenever and wherever you want on your TV or on the go.

WETA+ is free and available to download on all major streaming devices and smart TVs.

For more information, go to weta.org/wetaplus.

♪♪ The scores are now official.

We begin with Gaithersburg High School for Montgomery County, home of the Trojans.

Veronika, Keith, Muhib, 240 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] From Sidwell Friends, home of the Quakers here in Washington, Alexander, Louie, João, 460 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] And taking a 25-point bonus, and the game, Justice High School from Fairfax County.

Lena, Caroline, Mia, 545 points.

Nicely done.

[ Cheers and applause ] And that does it for us.

We are so happy that you were here.

Remember, everybody, "It's Academic"!

Can't wait to see you next time.

Bye, guys.

♪♪ Congrats.

Nice job.

-Man: Support for "It's Academic" has been provided by the following... -Man: Call us different.

-Woman: Different and where we come from.

-Man: Where we going.

-Woman: And how we think.

-Man: But the same in our dreams for tomorrow.

-Woman: Driven by the pull of possibility.

-Man: To inspire.

-Woman: To think fearlessly.

-Woman 2: To protect and to heal the planet.

Woman: We know the world will change.

-Man: Together... Woman: We will be the ones to change it.

-Man: All Woman: Together Woman 2: Different.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪