This program brought to you in part by the Erika Lewis Endowment Fund.

-Coming up next, it's the Junior Varsity Quiz All-Star Match!

Woohoo!

[crashing sound] ♪♪♪ [cheers and applause] (Nathan Tannenbaum) Hi and welcome to the 54th Season of Varsity Quiz .

We got the best and the brightest students matching wits in this unique academic competition.

Now in this match, we're saluting the young men and women of Junior Varsity Quiz with this year's All-Star Match, featuring superstars from some of the 22 Junior Varsity Quiz schools that competed in a one-day tournament earlier this year.

Now, our students have been randomly assigned to two different teams.

This All-Star Match, a little different than our regular season matches.

We have four timed rounds of up to 20 toss-up questions.

Each question in this lighthearted match, worth 5 points.

Let's meet our starting players for Team Parise.

Students, tell us your name, your grade, and the school you're from.

We'll start with Vincent.

-Hello, I'm Vincent.

I'm from Leavitt Middle School, and I'm in 7th grade.

-Excellent.

-I'm Aaron.

I'm from Thurman White Middle School, and I'm in 8th grade.

-Hi, I'm Samay.

I'm an 8th grader at Bob Miller Middle School.

-Hi, I'm Jake.

I'm an 8th grader at KO Knudson Middle School.

-That's Team Parise!

[cheers and applause] -All right.

Let's meet our starting players for Team Naylor.

We'll start with Jackson.

-Hi, I'm Jackson.

I'm a 7th grader at Tarkanian Middle School.

-Hi.

I'm Leah, and I'm a 6th grader at Thurman White Middle School.

-Hi.

I'm Eduardo, and I'm a 6th grader at Bridger.

-Hi, I'm Grant.

I'm a 7th grader from Johnson Junior High School.

-That's Team Naylor!

[applause] -Ready?

Here we go with our All-Star Match.

Over 50% of the electric power generated in the United States is produced by the burning of what fuel?

That's Team Parise, Samay: Fossil Fuels -Incorrect.

Team Naylor, Leah: Coal -Yes.

Points on the board for Team Naylor.

Which is the only continent without a continental divide?

That's Team Parise, Aaron: Antarctica -Yes, sir.

Points on the board for Team Parise.

Here we go.

What's the tired sounding name for military clothing worn while doing chores?

Team Parise, Aaron: Yawn -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] -You'll kick yourself.

Fatigues.

Doh!

Next question.

Mary Shelley came up with which famous tale during a ghost story competition with friends?

That's Team Parise, Aaron: Frankenstein -Muahahaha!

Yes.

What were the fastest ships in the world before the age of steam?

That's Team Parise, Samay: Man-of-Wars -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] -Look this one up.

They were Clipper Ships.

Okeydoke.

Next question.

The Matterhorn lies on the border between which two countries?

That's Team Parise, Aaron: Switzerland and Italy -You got it.

All right, here we go.

The same line of longitude forms the western border of Nebraska and what two other states?

That's Team Naylor, Jackson: Kansas and South Dakota -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] You had one of them.

It's North Dakota and South Dakota.

Next question.

What are its-- what are the tiny openings in your skin called?

Team Parise, Jake: Pores -You got it.

Woohoo!

You're on the board.

Einstein developed his Theory of Special Relativity first.

Which later theory explained gravity by means of the curvature of space?

[bell chimes, time expires] Aw, come on now.

The Theory of Relativity.

Yeah, whatever dude.

Okay.

Name a social insect that builds large cone-shaped nests up to 30 feet high in some tropical and subtropical regions.

Team Parise, Samay: Ants -No.

Team Naylor, Grant: Bees -No.

Your friend, the termite.

Ew.

Next question.

Orville Redenbacher helped revolutionize which snack product?

Team Parise, Aaron: Popcorn -Hello!

You guys love the popcorn, don't you?

Everybody's a popcorn lover, right?

Let's go!

Next question.

It began participating in the Olympics in 1908, remained unchallenged for half a century before they were disinvited in 1964 and again in 1968, before being banned outright in 1972.

Name this country that in 1992 returned to the Olympics with racially integrated teams after ending apartheid.

Team Parise, Samay: South Africa -Yes.

Long question, short answer.

Here we go.

A blend of the words "electricity" and "biscuit," name the snack cracker marketed in ads back in 1903 that said the use of electric power in the manufacturing process was unique in the snacking world at that time.

Team Naylor, Leah: Viscisity -No.

You'll kick yourselves.

Let's see what Team Parise, Samay, has to say.

-Biscotti.

-No.

You ready?

Triscuit.

Now you know the story behind the name of Triscuit.

If you-- if you get nothing else out of the show today, please tell your friends.

Next question.

In ski terms, what word is best defined as dry, loose, unconsolidated snow?

Let's try Team Naylor, Leah: Freshies -No.

Team Parise, Samay: Yellow Snow -No, please no.

No skiers here?

It's the powder.

Let's go, dude.

Next question.

Penguin Books was founded to publish what kind of book made affordable by avoiding expensive covers?

That's Team Parise, Samay: Paperback -Yeah.

You got it.

The legal system of which U.S. state and which Canadian province are based on the Code Napoleon?

Team Naylor, Jackson: France -No.

Team Parise, Aaron: New York and Quebec -Quebec is correct.

We were actually looking for Louisiana.

So we can't count that.

Next question.

What vegetable is used to make dill pickles?

Team Naylor, Leah: Cucumbers -Yeah.

We had a pickle kid here earlier.

Next question.

Name the Muppet comedian that has the catchphrase laugh, "wocka, wocka, wocka!"

Team Naylor, Grant: Fozzie Bear -Yeah.

We got-- everybody's a muppet fan, right?

All right, we're done with our first round.

Give it up for our All Stars!

[applause] So before we move on, let's explain where these team names come from.

Team Parise is named for Sheila Parise.

She coordinates the Varsity Quiz leagues, creates the match questions for Junior Varsity Quiz, serves as a moderator for both Junior Varsity and Varsity Quiz .

Really a crucial part of the entire program.

Sheila Parise!

[applause] -Now, Team Naylor is named for Howard Naylor.

He's a member of the Kiwanis Club of Las Vegas, a huge supporter of Varsity Quiz , Junior Varsity Quiz , volunteered to judge matches for years, still is a big supporter of JVQ.

Attending the tournament and the championship matches, it's Howard Naylor!

[applause] All right.

Round 2 coming up.

[crashing sound] -Going into Round 2, the score: Team Parise's 35 points to Team Naylor's 15.

-All right, students.

[crashing sound] -Let's go with Round 2, starting with this question: What type of front is indicated by a red line with semicircle bumps on a weather map?

We'll go with Team Naylor, Savannah: Cold Front -Nope.

We already did your team.

Okay, let's go with Team Parise, Ayan: Windy Front -Nope.

It's a Warm Front.

So none of you are junior weather buddies, but that's okay.

Next question.

Japan signed the World War II surrender terms in September 1945 on board what American warship?

[bell chimes, time expires] -Is that after the buzzer?

We'll go ahead with Team Parise, Ayan: USS Taylor -Nope.

So it was the USS Missouri.

No points.

Next question.

Perhaps best known for The Lottery , which author was a National Book Award finalist in 1960 for a novel about a haunted house?

[bell chimes, time expires] -No readers here?

What if I told you the name Shirley Jackson?

Maybe a little bit of recognition there?

All right, let's go on to the next question.

What dinosaur name means "speedy thief"?

We'll go with Team Parise, Ayan: Velociraptor -You got it.

Here we go.

It contains the world's largest landlocked harbor, its most fertile valley, the oldest living thing, the largest living tree, and the most national sites of any US state.

What state is it?

Team Naylor, Kian: California -You got it.

All right, here we go.

What two-syllable word names any of the chemical compounds that are colored themselves and are used to color other materials?

Team Naylor, Kian: Pigment -Yes.

The Webster-Ashburton Treaty, among other things, set the boundary between Lake Superior and the Lake of the Woods.

That's a boundary between which U.S. state and which Canadian province?

Team Parise, Ayan: Michigan and Ontario -Incorrect.

Team Naylor, Kian: Ohio and Ontario Incorrect.

We were looking for Minnesota and Ontario.

All you geography bugs, here we go.

Next question.

Created during the Great Depression, which snack cracker was named after a fancy hotel?

Team Naylor, Savannah: Biscotti -No.

Team Parise, Madison: Hilton -Pardon me?

-Hilton.

-No.

Y'all never heard of the Ritz Cracker?

The Ritz Carlton Hotel.

See, that's another thing you're gonna take home and tell your families, that you learned something from Junior Varsity Quiz .

Let's go to the next question.

When blood thickens in an area blocking the blood from flowing, it's medical term is "thrombosis."

What's the more common name for this?

Team Naylor, Mackenzie: Blood Clot -Yeah.

Next question.

Mohandas Gandhi, assassinated in 1948 by a fanatic who opposed Gandhi's acquiescence to India's partition and the creation of what country?

That's Team Parise, Khalil: Pakistan -Yes.

Ayan wanted to buzz in on that one, but you got the points for the team.

(Unknown Speaker) His mic might be broken.

-Oh, we'll see what happens here, Ayan.

You're good.

What adjective describes isotopes, such as those of plutonium, that spontaneously undergo nuclear fission causing emissions that can be harmful to humans?

Team Parise, Ayan: Radioactive -Yeah.

Your clicker works, Ayan.

Next question.

Who said, "Mr. Watson, come here.

I want you"?

That's Team Naylor, Savannah: Sherlock Holmes -Nope.

Team Parise, Ayan: Alexander Graham Bell -Yeah.

That's the guy who invented the telephone.

There you go.

Next question.

What country was created out of three Ottoman Empire provinces that have been dominated by Shiite Arabs, Kurds, and Sunni Arabs?

That's Team Parise, Ayan: Saudi Arabia -No.

Team Naylor, Kian: Iran -No, it was Iraq.

Next question.

Of all the books translated worldwide, only 6% are translated into this language, while almost 50% of all books translated are translated from this language to another one.

What language am I talking about?

Team Parise, Khalil: Hebrew -No.

Team Naylor, Kian: Latin -No.

We're talking about English, Yo.

Trick question.

Next question.

Name this animal that's found in Mexico, Central and South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australia.

It lives in grassy swamps, slow moving rivers, and is the last living link to dinosaurs.

Team Parise, Ayan: Birds -Nope.

Team Naylor, Kian: Dogs -No.

Come on, man.

Crocodile.

Muahahaha.

Next question.

All-American football player, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, successful entrepreneur, high school groundskeeper, champion ping-pong player.

Name the movie character also known for running really fast.

Team Parise, Ayan: The Flash -No.

Was that time?

Anybody else?

Oh, man.

You gotta see this movie.

Forrest Gump .

All right.

We're done with Round 2.

Before we move on though, we want to meet the coaches for the All-Star teams.

They are from the top two teams that we had throughout the season here in the Junior Varsity Quiz .

For Team Parise, the coach, Christina Radosevich!

[applause] -She is from White Middle School.

The coach for Team Naylor, Erick Ekker from Miller Middle School!

[applause] -Round 3 coming up.

[crashing sound] -Going into Round 3 of our Junior Varsity Quiz All-Star Match, the score: Team Parise 65 points to Team Naylor's 30.

[crashing sound] Check this out: The largest crustacean is a Japanese species of what?

It can measure 12 feet between its claws.

Team Naylor, Jackson: Crab -Yeah.

That's a pretty big crab, don't you think?

Don't want to see that walking around.

Next question.

From the Greek for "heart," the Latin for "vessel," this word describes the circulatory system.

That's Team Naylor, Leo: Cardiovascular System -You got it.

Next question.

The Swiss chocolate bar Toblerone has which mountain on its package?

Team Nayor, Grant: The Matterhorn -Yeah.

Everybody likes the chocolate, don't you?

I could use some right now.

Next question.

Which country is the composer Aaron Copland native to?

Team Naylor, Leo: Germany -No.

Team Parise, Khalil: Spain -No.

Aaron Copeland is an American.

"Fanfare for the Common Man," check it out.

Next question.

How many cells does a bacterium have?

Team Naylor, Leo: One -Yeah.

Everybody knows that.

Next question.

Birds of prey keep the pest population of animals like mice and rats under control.

What mammal group do these animals belong to?

Team Naylor, Grant: Rodents -Yeah, they sure are.

Next question.

Able to withstand warm climates like that of the Pacific because it "melts in your mouth, not in your hands," which candy was included in World War II rations?

Team Parise, Madison: M&Ms -Yeah.

Now see, there's a fun fact for you.

Next question.

Baghdad is the capital of what country?

Team Naylor, Jackson: Iraq -Yes, sir.

What comes next in this series: page, squire, blank?

Team Naylor, Grant: Knight -Yes!

We shall spare your head this day!

Next question.

In which Olympic sport would the following be required: a flat sleigh, no sides, weighing no more than 50 pounds; a steep hill; and nerves of steel?

Team Naylor, Leo: Tobogganing -No.

Team Parise, Khalil: Sledding -No.

It's the Luge.

In what country is the edifice, described in the following passage, found?

"It is 480 feet high.

Its 2.3 million limestone blocks weigh 2.5 tons each and are separated by joints only one ten-thousandth of an inch wide."

Team Naylor, Leo: The United Kingdom -Nope.

Team Parise, Khallil: India -No.

We're talking about Egypt.

Might be the pyramids.

Shh.

Next question.

Which planet in our solar system has the most powerful magnetic field?

That's Team Naylor, Grant: Jupiter -You got it.

What's the acronym for the first-aid procedure that's used to help somebody whose heart stops beating?

Team Naylor, Leo: CPR -Yes, sir.

What's the only brand of baseball cards that have been marketed continuously since 1957?

[bell chimes, time expires] -No baseball card collectors here?

Oh, man.

It's Topps.

You get chewing gum.

You get bubble gum with them.

Let's go!

Next question.

If two independent clauses are connected without any punctuation mark to divide them or a connecting word to join them, the result is what grammatical error?

Team Naylor, Leo: A Run-on Sentence -Yeah, like that question.

Next question.

Because he was being used to adulterate gold in 18th century Spanish America, Spain ordered that all known reserves of it be dumped into the ocean.

Many people would like to know where it's dumped because now it's more expensive than gold.

Name this precious metal whose name comes from the Spanish for "little silver."

Team Parise, Khalil: Iron -No.

Team Naylor, Grant: Diamond -No.

Platinum.

Mmm.

Next question.

A year after the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series in 85 years, Chicago White Sox won the Series to end their 87-year drought.

But which major league team went 108 years without winning the championship until they did it in 2016?

Team Naylor, Grant: The Chicago Cubs -Yeah, baby!

We're done with Round 3.

[applause] -Before we go, we wanted to tell you about the judges for tonight's Varsity Quiz .

They're from the Clark County School District, scorekeepers from the Kiwanis Club of Las Vegas.

You know, the Kiwanis Club of Las Vegas and the Clark County School District also provide our moderators and judges throughout the Junior Varsity Quiz tournament leading up to where we are today.

And there's one more round in the All-Star Match straight ahead!

[crashing sound] -We're heading into the final round of the Junior Varsity Quiz All-Star Match.

Just for fun, but we do keep score.

Team Parise has 60 points to Team Naylor's 90.

[crashing sound] -All right, students, here we go.

It's not a social insect like an ant, but it follows the word "social" to describe a gregarious person.

Name this insect that flits from place to place.

Team Naylor, Grant: Butterfly -Yeah.

You know, social butterfly, like our friend Ayan over here.

[laughter] -Next question.

Scientifically designed to be stackable, what snack's shape is technically a truncated hyperbolic paraboloid?

Team Naylor, Kian: Pringle -Shah.

[buzzer] -You were gonna say the same thing, weren't you, Aaron?

Yeah.

Pringle fans?

"Can't get enough."

They're dangerous.

Next question.

What waterway created as a transportation route put New York City far ahead of Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, and Charleston in trade and population during the 19th century?

That's Team Parise, Ayan: The Saratoga River -No.

Team Naylor, Leo: The Hudson River -No, we're talking about the Erie Canal.

Oh, there's a head scratcher.

Next question.

What large mountain is the setting for Jon Krakauer's book Into Thin Air ?

Team Parise, Ayan: The Sierra Nevada -No.

Team Naylor, Leo: Mount Everest -Yeah.

That is a wild book.

You should check it out, Into Thin Air .

Next question.

The Trojan War started when Paris carried away whom?

Tim Naylor, Leo: Helen -Yeah.

All right.

What unit of local government in medieval England rhymes with "fire"?

Team Parise, Ayan: Shire -Yeah.

To the shire we go!

Next question.

Name the fundamental liberty described by Louis Brandeis as "the right to be let alone."

Team Naylor, Kian: Privacy -Yeah.

I love that.

That's the right to be let alone.

Next question.

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all monotheistic religions, which means they believe in what?

That's Team Parise, Aaron: One God -Yeah.

Next question.

Man, we got some snack questions here.

What corn chip's name is derived from the Spanish word for "gold"?

Team Naylor, Leah: Fritos -Nope.

Team Parise, Ayan: Oroborom -Oh, man, come on now.

Doritos!

We got Pringles.

We got Doritos.

What are you guys trying to do to us over here?

[laughter] -I'm snack hungry.

Next question.

What property allows mercury to gather into globules and insects to stand on water?

Team Parise, Ayan: Surface Tension -Yep.

But there's no surface tension, Ayan.

You're all loosened up.

Next question.

What's the motto of the Boy Scouts?

[bell chimes, time expires] Oh, you're killing me.

No scouts here?

[laughter] -Audience, go ahead and shout it out.

[audience speaking] -Be prepared.

Okay, now.

Next question.

What's the shortest of the running events in the Decathlon?

Team Naylor, Kian: Sprint -Nope.

Team Parise: The Swim -No, it's the 100 meters.

Next question.

Name the body of citizens chosen to determine questions of fact in criminal or civil court proceedings.

Team Naylor, Leo: Jury -Yeah.

Future lawyer.

[buzzer] -We already got that one, Ayan.

It's all good.

[buzzer] -Hey, Samay.

Okay, get out, stop it now.

[laughter] -Next question.

Who are the two elderly hecklers who sit in the balcony at Muppet Theater?

Team Parise, Ayan: Mr. Muppet and Mrs. Muppet -No.

Team Naylor, Leo: Statler and Waldorf -Yeah.

They're old, and we're done!

Let's find out who won!

[crashing sound] -It was a topsy-turvy Junior Varsity Quiz All-Star Match, but our final score is Team Parise's 75 points to Team Naylor's 125.

[crashing sound] -The winner, Team Naylor!

[cheers and applause] -Well, here we have come to the end of another season.

We are so grateful to all the folks who make our Junior Varsity Quiz program the success that it is.

That includes coaches, students buzzing in when they're not supposed to, and teachers.

A special thanks to everyone who helps out in the administration of Junior Varsity Quiz , to the Kiwanis Club of Las Vegas, and to Vegas PBS.

What a great 54th Season, with each and every match posted online at the Vegas PBS website so you can share the excitement with family and friends all over the world.

And thank you for tuning in.

We'll see you next year for the 55th Season of Varsity Quiz on Vegas PBS.

Goodnight!

[cheers and applause] ♪♪♪