(upbeat music) - [Hillary] Students from Blake, (upbeat music) - Woodgrove, (upbeat music) - and Parkdale meet today on It's Academic.

(upbeat music) - Hello everybody, I'm Hillary Howard and welcome to It's Academic, produced by Altman Productions in association with David M. Rubenstein Productions.

- [Announcer] Support for It's Academic has been provided by the following, MITRE, a not-for-profit research and development company working in the public interest.

(triumphant uptempo music) - [Narrator] The world is full of challenges, and at MITRE we're committed to solving them.

From aviation, and health, to cyber, and national security.

Our people know we are called to do more.

(triumphant uptempo music) MITRE, solving problems for a safer world.

- And now it's time to meet the teams.

We begin with Blake High School from Silver Spring.

Nathan, Luke, Fred, welcome to It's Academic, guys.

Hi.

- [Blake Team] Hi Hillary.

- [Hillary] Hey, great to have you.

From Woodgrove High School in Purcellville, Virginia, Sam, Claire, and Jade.

Great to have you on It's Academic.

Hi.

- [Woodgrove Team] Hi.

Good morning Hillary.

- [Hillary] Hi.

And finally from Parkdale High School in Riverdale, Maryland, Rogelio, Kyra, and Eli.

It is so great to have you with us today.

Hi guys.

- [Parkdale Team] Hello.

- All right, well now that we've done the introductions, let's jump into this Opening Round where questions are worth 20 points.

Nothing off for a wrong answer.

Blake, you're up first.

Nathan, Luke, Fred, here's your first question.

With one word from each column, you can name what creature whose bite can transmit African sleeping sickness?

- [Nathan] Conferring tsetse fly maybe?

- [Luke] Yep.

- [Nathan] Sure, final answer tsetse fly.

- [Hillary] That is right.

I yawn papa.

Well stop yawning and rearrange these letters to name what ancient Roman road extending from Rome to Brindisi.

- [Nathan] Conferring Appian Way?

- [Fred] Yep.

- [Nathan] Final answer, Appian way.

- Correct.

Here you see the chemical symbol for oxygen in the name of what other element whose symbol is B?

- [Nathan And Fred] Conferring Boron?

- [Luke] Boron.

- [Nathan] Final answer, Boron.

- [Hillary] Correct.

Larva, Chrysalis, Egg.

In its metamorphosis cycle, a butterfly passes through these stages in what order?

- [Nathan] Conferring Egg, Larva, Chrysalis?

- [Luke] Yep.

- [Fred] That's right.

- [Nathan] Final answer, Egg, Larva, Chrysalis.

- That's it.

Tonstant weader fwowed up.

Critic Dorothy Parker wrote this nasty review of A.A. Milne's books about what lovable bear, the friend of Piglet?

- [Blake Team] Conferring, Winnie the Pooh.

- [Nathan] Yeah, final answer.

Winnie the Pooh.

- It's Winnie the Pooh.

And with that answer, Blake, you've got 200 points.

All right, it's time for Team 2 from Woodgrove High School in Purcellville, Virginia.

Sam, Claire, Jade.

Here we go.

Choose one word from each column and you can name what 1871 disaster that made headlines across the country?

- [Claire] Conferring Chicago Fire?

- [Sam] Chicago Fire, final answer.

- [Hillary] Yep.

It's the Chicago Fire.

Run Tone.

Run with this anagram and rearrange the letters to name what subatomic particle, which along with the proton, makes up the nucleus of an atom?

- [Claire] Conferring neutron?

- [Jade] Agreed.

- [Sam] Final answer, neutron.

- Yeah.

Think of these two letters as representing two cubic centimeters of wine and you can fill in the blanks to name what Roman God of wine?

- [Sam] Conferring?

- [Claire] Conferring Bacchus?

- [Claire] Bacchus.

- [Hillary] Answer?

- [Sam] Final, final answer, Bacchus.

- Yeah, that's it.

Pearl Harbor bombed.

Social Security enacted.

Nixon resignation.

Please arrange these three events involving Americans in chronological order, starting with the earliest.

- [Sam] Uh, conferring Social Security, Pearl Harbor, Nixon?

- [Claire] That sounds right.

- [Jade] Sounds good.

- [Sam] Final answer, Social security enacted, Pearl Harbor bombed, Nixon resignation.

- Sounds good to me too.

Nobody reads first novels.

This comment is from Peter Benchley who was happy to eat his words after attracting thousands of readers with what first novel, later a hit movie about a man-eating shark?

- [Sam] Conferring?

- [Claire] Conferring Jaws (chuckling)?

- [Sam] Final answer, Jaws.

- [Hillary] Yeah, it was Jaws.

What else would it be?

Hey, Woodgrove, fabulous job.

200 points.

Alrighty, let's do this Team 3 from Parkdale High School.

Rogelio, Kyra, Eli, here we go.

By taking one word from each column, you can name what ancient sports venue where chariot races were held?

- [Rogelio] Conferring Terra Maximus?

- [Eli] I agree.

- [Rogelio] Final answer, Terra Maximus.

- [Hillary] Ah, the answer is Circus Maximus.

Winter Stems.

If you rearrange the letters in this phrase you can name what London abbey, the traditional site of British coronations?

- [Rogelio] Westminster?

- Yeah, Westminster.

Fill in the blanks around Eli and you'll name what noble gas that is the second lightest element?

- [Rogelio] Helium.

- [Hillary] Yeah.

Manila Bay, Bay of Pigs, Mobile Bay.

Military action at these three bays had a strong impact on US history.

Please list them in chronological order.

- [Rogelio] Uh, Conferring Manila Bay, Bay of Pigs and Mobile Bay.

- [Eli] Yeah, I agree.

- [Kyra] Okay.

- [Rogelio] Final answer, Manila Bay, Bay of Pigs, and Mobile Bay.

- [Hillary] Yeah, it was Mobile Bay, Manila, and then Bay of Pigs.

We travel together, passengers on a little spaceship.

Referring to all the peoples of the world, this was the comment of Adlai Stevenson who lost two presidential elections in the 1950s to what World War II General?

- [Rogelio] Conferring Horace Grant?

- [Hillary] Answer?

- [Rogelio] Well, final answer, Horace Grant.

- No, it was Eisenhower.

(upbeat music) - [Hillary] Parkdale High School, you have a total score of 140 points.

And that's the end of the Opening Round.

The Picture Perfect Round is next.

- [David] I'm David Rubenstein.

From the Kennedy Center and the National Archives to the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, I've been pleased to support many important organizations and historic sites linked to American history, art, culture, education, and more.

I believe giving back to our country isn't just an idea, it's an action, a patriotic action, that involves all of us and it begins with education and learning about our nation's past so that we the people, can make a more perfect union for the future.

We can do it together.

Please read, learn, get involved, and make a difference.

(upbeat music) - All right.

It is time for the Picture Perfect Round.

In this round questions are worth 20 points, up or down, 10 points off if you pass.

Blake, you're up first.

Here's the first clue.

This political cartoon depicting the American eagle trying to sit on an unruly nest was published in what first year of the Civil War?

- [Fred] Conferring 1860.

- [Nathan] Conferring.

Yeah, final answer, 1860.

- [Hillary] Nope.

1861.

One year off.

- [Nathan] Aw.

- [Hillary] The molecular formula for hydrogen peroxide is which of these?

- [Nathan] Conferring, the first one?

- [Luke] Yes.

- [Nathan] Yeah, final answer, the first one.

- You got that, yeah.

This pendant was the work of an artist in what West African country whose capital is Conakry?

- [Nathan] Conferring Guinea?

- [Luke] Yep.

- [Nathan] Final answer, Guinea.

- Guinea is right.

Blake, 220 points.

All right Team 2, you're up.

Woodgrove High School.

Sam, Claire, Jade, here we go.

This painting of Edward Winslow is the only known portrait of any of the men who signed what shipboard compact in 1620?

- [Sam] Mayflower Compact?

- [Hillary] Pardon me?

Yeah.

Very good.

It's the Mayflower Compact.

Choice.

Which of these compounds, one, two or three, figures in many detective novels since it's a poison containing arsenic?

- [Claire] Conferring two?

- [Sam] Final answer, two.

- Two it is.

This secluded spot can be found a few miles from Paramaribo, the capital of what small South American country that borders Guyana?

- [Hillary] Answer?

and 3, 2, 1?

(students mumbling) - [Hillary] Pardon me?

- [Sam] Uh, Papau New Guinea?

- No, the answer is Suriname.

Woodgrove, you've got a score of 220 points.

All right, Parkdale High School, you are up.

Here's the first picture.

This is a scene from what 19th century war in which the British burned the White House?

- [Rogelio] The Revolutionary War.

- [Eli] Revolutionary War.

- [Kyra] Okay.

- [Hillary] The answer is the War of 1812.

Choice.

What total number of atoms is represented by this formula?

9, 11, or 16?

- [Rogelio] Uh.

- [Eli] 16.

- [Rogelio] Final answer 16.

- 16 it is, yeah.

The Tanzanian flag incorporates the colors from the flag of what island, which in 1964 joined with Tanganyika to form Tanzania?

- [Rogelio] Conferring?

- [Hillary] Answer, in 3, 2, 1?

The answer is Zanzibar.

(upbeat music) Parkdale High School, you've got a score of 130 points.

And that's it for the Picture Perfect Round.

In just a minute, we'll learn more about our amazing students and dive into the Packet Round.

But first, here's something interesting.

- [David] Hello, I'm David Rubenstein.

Did you know a Chinese airline paid $280,000 for phone number 8888-8888?

Because the Chinese word for eight sounds like the Chinese word for rich, the number is considered lucky.

I'm David Rubenstein reminding you to read, learn, get involved, and make a difference.

(upbeat music) - It's halftime, which means the Packet Round.

As you know in this round, answers are worth 20 points.

Nothing off for a wrong answer, so feel free to guess.

And if you get every answer right, you know there's a 25 point bonus.

Woo hoo.

We begin with you Blake.

So, Nathan, Luke, and Fred, we can't wait to ask you some questions but first we'd like to learn more about you.

We start with the captain, who is Nathan.

Hey Nathan, what are you up to these days?

- Hi, I'm a 16 year old sophomore and uh, I play baseball for my school's JV team and I like to listen to WTOP News in the afternoon.

(Hillary laughing) - Woo hoo.

Thank you so much for that.

I appreciate that.

Now tell your friends and perhaps they will listen too.

Awesome to have you here, Nathan.

Hiya Luke, tell us about yourself.

- Hi, I'm a 14 year old freshman.

I'm a fencer, a drummer, and my brother was a previous champion of Blake.

- That is so great.

I remember Theo.

That's wonderful.

And what's he up to these days, Luke?

- He's up to college now.

- [Hillary] Awesome.

Well, it's wonderful to have you and Fred.

It's good to have you too.

So what should we know about you?

- My name is Fred.

I'm a 16 year old sophomore at Blake.

My favorite subject is history and I enjoy travel.

- What's your favorite place that you've traveled to so far?

- I recently went to Barcelona in Spain.

I really enjoyed seeing La Sagrada Familia.

- Oh, well that's wonderful.

I bet that was a great trip.

Great to have you, Fred.

And now I've got a question for you.

90% of all ocean life was wiped out millions of years ago by a massive ejection of molten rock, spewed forth from what kind of geographic entities such as Mauna Loa?

- [Nathan And Fred] Conferring volcano?

- [Nathan] Yeah, final answer, volcano.

- [Hillary] Correct.

Theodore Roosevelt was initially sworn in as president in New York state in what city named for the large animal that once dominated the American Plains?

- [Nathan And Fred] Conferring Buffalo?

- [Nathan] Final answer, Buffalo.

- Yes.

Here's your science question.

Bauxite, Galena, Carnallite.

Which of these is the standard ore of lead?

- [Fred] Conferring Galena.

- [Nathan] Yeah.

Final answer, Galena.

- [Luke] Yep.

- [Hillary] Yes it is Galena.

Sailors were exploring new sea routes and painters like Da Vinci were exploring new artistic concepts during the period known by what name meaning rebirth?

- [Nathan And Fred] Conferring Renaissance.

- [Luke] Conferring Renaissance.

- [Fred] Yeah.

- [Nathan] Final answer, Renaissance.

- [Hillary] Renaissance is right.

A modern author brought new life to an old story when he added zombies to what Jane Austen novel about the Bennet family?

- [Fred] Conferring War and Peace?

- [Nathan] No, uh.

- [Luke] No, no, no, no.

- [Nathan] Conferring Pride and Prejudice?

- [Luke] Yep that's it.

- [Nathan] Final answer, Pride and Prejudice?

- [Hillary] Yeah, glad you got there.

Here's your math question.

Simplify this expression taking positive roots and giving your answer as an integer.

- [Nathan] Conferring zero?

Final answer, zero.

- [Hillary] Yep.

Presidents have received some unusual gifts including a chair made out of bottle caps, a present received by what 33rd Chief Executive?

- [Nathan and Luke] Conferring Truman.

- [Nathan] Yeah.

Final answer, Truman.

- [Luke] Truman, yeah.

- Harry Truman it is.

Nice job, Blake.

You scored that 25 point bonus.

(alarm wailing) Way to go and a score of 385 points.

Let's meet Team 2 from Woodgrove High School in Purcellville, Virginia.

And Sam, we're gonna start with you.

We'd love to know what you're, what you're up to these days.

- Hi, I'm Sam.

I'm an 18 year old senior.

I like to play guitar and build computers and I would like to thank Administration for allowing us to be here.

- Wonderful.

Building computers is kind of cool.

How long does that take?

- Couple hours.

Maybe a day.

- [Hillary] Really?

All right.

That's amazing.

(laughing) Hiya, Claire.

Tell us about yourself.

- Uh, I'm a 16 year old junior at, dual student at the Academies of Loudoun and Woodgrove, and this is my first year on the academic team, and I'm very excited to be here.

- We're really excited to have you.

And finally, Jade.

Hiya, Jade.

- Hi, I'm Jade.

I'm a senior and I'm 18.

Um, and I really like art and I wanted to thank my teachers.

- Beautiful.

What sort of art are you into?

- Mostly like painting and like sculpting.

- [Hillary] Nice.

And now of course we have the Packet Round to get through.

So here's the first question.

Woodgrove, here we go.

In 1800 there were just 30 houses and a church in a small settlement that is now what California city with the largest population?

- [Sam] Conferring Los Angeles?

- [Claire] That sounds right.

- [Jade] Yeah.

- [Sam] Final answer, Los Angeles.

- Yes, it is.

For centuries, naval control of the Mediterranean was linked to what rocky British fortress located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula?

- [Claire] Um.

- [Sam] Um.

- [Hillary] Answer in - [Sam] Pass.

- [Hillary] 3, 2, 1.

Gibraltar.

Here's your science question.

A temperature of 98 degrees on the Fahrenheit scale would correspond to approximately which of these temperatures on the Celsius scale?

- [Sam and Claire] Conferring 37 degrees Celsius.

- [Jade] Agreed.

- [Sam] Final answer, 37 degrees Celsius.

- [Hillary] You got it.

In 2008, the remains of a dinosaur as tall as a four-story building were discovered in what South American country whose capital is Buenos Aires?

- [Sam and Claire] Conferring Argentina.

- [Sam] Final answer, Argentina.

- [Hillary] It's Argentina.

Though the demand for bell ringers is limited today, a Victor Hugo novel features Quasimodo as the bell ringer in what Paris cathedral?

- [Claire] Conferring Notre-Dame?

- [Sam] Final answer, Notre-Dame.

- [Hillary] Yep.

Here's your math question.

Evaluate this expression, two fifths divided by five to the negative one power.

- [Sam and Claire] Conferring 2?

- [Sam] Final answer, 2.

- [Hillary] Yeah.

Harriet Lane enjoyed high social status in Washington when she served as White House hostess for her uncle, what 15th President?

- [Sam] Uhm.

- [Hillary] Answer in 3, 2, 1.

It is James Buchanan.

Woodgrove High School, nice job.

320 points.

How about we meet the team from Parkdale High School in Riverdale?

We start with Rogelio, who's the captain.

Hey Rogelio, what should we know about you?

- I'm an 18 year old senior and I enjoy architecture and urban planning.

- Wow.

What do you like most about that?

- Making life easier for the pedestrian and less relying on cars.

- Awesome.

Well, it's great to have you here.

Hello, Kyra.

How are you doing?

- I'm doing good.

- Good.

What should we know about you?

- I'm a 17 year old senior and I enjoy helping my local school's SGA and writing poetry.

- Really?

And tell me about your poetry a little bit.

Is it contemporary?

- Um, I could be a bit abstract but I've been really into odes recently.

- Nice, nice.

I like poetry.

That's awesome.

Good to have you here, Kyra.

And finally, hello Eli.

Tell us what you're up to.

- Hello.

I am a 17 year old senior at Parkdale and uh, I like to draw in my free time.

- Yeah.

What kind of stuff do you do?

- Anything in general.

Sometimes figures, superheroes, sometimes robots.

(Hillary laughs) - Nice.

I like the superhero one.

It's great to have you here, Eli.

And now I've got some questions for you.

Here's the first one, Parkdale.

The ability to convert saltwater into freshwater is a feature of what large flightless birds that live in large colonies in the Antarctic?

- [Rogelio] Penguins.

- [Hillary] Penguins, it is To combat global warming, a massive project involving the planting of 250 million trees is now underway in what country where New Delhi is capital?

- [Rogelio] India.

- [Eli] India.

- [Hillary] Yeah.

Here's your science question.

Nitrogen, methane, hydrogen.

If a gas burns in air with a nearly colorless flame and produces nothing but water as the product, the gas must be which of these?

- [Rogelio] Conferring Methane?

- [Kyra] Yeah, I think Methane.

- [Eli] Methane.

- [Rogelio] Hydrogen.

- [Hillary] Ah, yeah, you got it.

I heard hydrogen.

Here's your next question.

The phrase, she who hesitates is lost, might describe what legendary Greek woman who lost a race because she paused to pick up some golden apples?

Answer in 3, 2, 1.

Atalanta.

According to the title of an Ernest Hemingway story, you'd expect to find snows on what highest African mountain?

- [Rogelio] Uh, conferring Kilimanjaro?

- [Kyra] Yeah, Kilimanjaro.

- [Rogelio] Final answer, Kilimanjaro.

- Yeah.

Here's your math question.

If X equals 7, what is the value of the reciprocal of this fraction, giving your answer as an integer?

Answer?

- [Rogelio] One over.

- [Hillary] 3, 2, 1.

49.

With today's government spending, a $61 billard table wouldn't even be noticed, but it caused an uproar during the administration of what sixth President?

- [Kyra] John, conferring, John Quincy Adams.

- [Eli] Agreed.

- [Rogelio] Quincy Adams.

- John Quincy Adams is right.

Parkdale, nice job.

230 points.

(upbeat music) And that's it for the Packet Round.

We have the very exciting Lightning Round coming at you next.

(upbeat music) - All right.

We've done it.

We have reached the Lightning Round.

In this round you've got 45 seconds to answer up to 10 questions.

They're worth 20 points up or down.

No penalty if you pass.

Blake High School, you're up.

Nathan, Luke, Fred, let's do this.

All your answers must begin with a letter C and end with the letter D, as in crowd.

In 3, 2, 1.

This Massachusetts cape is named for a fish?

- [Blake Team] Cod.

- He's the classical cod of love.

- [Blake Team] Cupid.

- Yes.

This African country has its capital as N'Djamena?

- [Nathan] Chad.

- Yes.

Cumulus and Nimbus are forms of this atmospheric mass?

- [Blake Team] Clouds - Yes.

This major artery delivers blood to the brain.

- [Nathan] Carotid.

- [Hillary] Yes.

- David was the first name of this Dickens title character?

- [Fred] Charles.

No.

No.

- Copperfield.

- [Blake Team] No.

No.

- This is the capital of New Hampshire.

- [Nathan] Concord.

- [Hillary] Yes.

This is a line segment connecting two points on a curve?

- [Blake Team] Chord.

- Yes.

This disease caused our pandemic in 2020.

- [Nathan] Covid.

- [Hillary] Yes.

Maya Angelou wrote, I know why this bird sings.

- [Blake Team] Caged Bird.

- Yeah.

Yes, it is caged Blake.

And you got through every single one of those questions with a couple of seconds to spare.

Nicely done.

545 points.

Woodgrove, you are up for the Lightning Round.

Sam, Claire, Jade.

All your answers must begin with a letter C and end with a letter T, as in cot.

In 3, 2, 1.

This is a common orange root vegetable?

- [Claire] Carrot.

- [Hillary] Yes.

This is the southern most New England state?

- [Woodgrove Team] Connecticut.

- Yes.

This was the last name of Shakespeare's Juliet?

- [Sam] Pass.

- Capulet.

This musical instrument is one of the woodwinds.

- [Claire] Clarinet.

- [Hillary] Yes.

This is the outermost layer of the earth?

- [Sam] Crust.

- Yes.

This same name is shared by an insect and a popular British sport?

- [Woodgrove Team] Cricket.

- Yes.

This is a young male horse?

- [Sam] Pass.

- [Hillary and Claire] Colt This chemical element has atomic number 26?

- [Sam and Claire] Cobalt.

- Yes.

This was the home of King Arthur and his court?

- [Claire] Camelot - Yes.

(signal buzzing) Yes it is Camelot.

Nicely done, Woodgrove.

480 points.

Hey Parkdale, it's your chance to play.

So here we go.

Rogelio, Kyra, and Eli, the Lightning Round begins.

All your answers must begin with the letter T and end with the letter A, as in tiara.

In 3, 2, 1.

This Florida bay city is home to the NFL Buccaneers?

- [Rogelio] Tampa - [Hillary] Yes.

This is a large, low pitched brass instrument?

- [Eli] Tuba - Yes.

This Serbian born inventor now names an electric car?

- [Rogelio] Tesla.

- Yes.

This is the capital of Kansas?

- [Rogelio] Uh, Tope.., No.

- [Hillary] Topeka.

This is another name for your shin bone?

- [Rogelio] Pass - [Hillary] Tibia.

And this is the formal name for your windpipe?

- [Kyra] Trachea.

- Yes.

This large island is an Australian state?

- [Kyra] Tasmania.

- Yes.

This type of hairy spider has a nasty bite?

- [Rogelio and Kyra] Tarantula.

- Yes.

This North African country borders Algeria?

(signal buzzing) The answer is Tunisia.

Nicely done, Parkdale.

(upbeat music) Way to do that Lightning Round.

350 points.

Hey, the judges are going over the score, so in just a minute we'll let you know who's coming back for the playoffs.

But before that, we would really love for you to consider giving back to your community like some of our really cool students.

- I'm David Rubenstein and I believe giving back is something we all can do.

Students are getting involved in their communities in many important ways.

I've asked them to share with us how they're making a difference.

- My name is Zakareya.

I'm a student at McLean High School and the lead in an education advocacy organization called Saphron Initiative.

The majority of the work that we do at Saphron Initiative is in education policy and advocacy, as well as direct impact work with Title I elementary schools here in the DC area.

I think what most inspired me to do this work was my own experience as a former charter school student in New Orleans, where I saw the brunt of education inequity, which ultimately inspired me to speak up.

- Like these students, you too can help improve the lives of so many people by volunteering in your town and community.

Please read, learn, get involved, and make a difference.

(upbeat music) - The scores are now official.

First, congratulations to our team from Parkdale High School in Riverdale, Maryland.

Rogelio, Kyra, and Eli, 350 points.

Second congratulations to Woodgrove High School from Purcellville, Virginia.

Sam, Claire, Jade, 480 points.

And coming back for the playoffs, Blake High School from Silver Spring, Maryland.

Nathan, Luke, and Fred, 545 points.

Awesome guys.

Let's hear it for our incredible teams and you, our incredible viewers.

Really happy you could join us today and match wits with our impressive students.

- [Announcer] Support for It's Academic has been provided by the following, MITRE, a not-for-profit research and development company working in the public interest.

- [Narrator] At MITRE, we're committed to solving some of our biggest challenges in national security, cyber, aviation and health.

And our dedication to service starts at home, working to fight hunger, serving people in need, protecting public health and supporting our civic institutions.

This is serving the public.

This is MITRE.

Solving problems for a safer world.

(upbeat music) - Please join us next time when Churchill, Meridian, and St. Albans compete right here on It's Academic.

I'm Hillary Howard.

See you then.

Bye everybody.

(upbeat music) - [David] I'm David Rubenstein, reminding you to read, learn, get involved, and make a difference.

(upbeat music)