-Students from Churchill, Sandy Spring Friends, and Walt Whitman meet today on "It's Academic."

[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ ♪♪ Hello, everybody, and welcome to "It's Academic," the world's longest running TV quiz show, produced by Altman Productions in association with David M. Rubenstein Productions and WETA.

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

-Different in where we come from.

-Where we're going.

-In how we think.

-But the same in our dreams for tomorrow.

-Driven by the pull of possibility.

-To inspire.

-To think fearlessly.

-To protect and to heal the planet.

We know the world will change.

-Together... -We will be the ones to change it.

-Call Mason different.

All-- -Together.

-Different.

♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] -We are so glad to have you with us as we begin the competition today with the Fast Start.

Guys, as you know, in this round, questions are worth 10 points up or down.

The first team to buzz in gets to answer, and, you folks at home, these students do not see what you do on the screens.

Let's do this.

Saddle Up.

All questions in this round will refer to things relating to horses and equine animals.

This is a winged horse of Greek mythol-- Sandy Spring.

-Pegasus.

-Yes.

This mail service was active between 1860 -- Whitman.

-Pony Express.

-Yep, Pony Express.

This Anna Sewell novel exposed -- Sandy Spring.

-"Black Beauty"?

-Correct.

These Scottish islands gave their names to a -- Yeah, Sandy Spring.

-Shetland?

-Shetland is correct.

Yeah.

Churchill.

Answer?

-Horseshoe?

-Horseshoe is it.

The Indianapolis pro football team has -- Whitman.

-Colts.

-Colts is right.

This distinctive nebula is part of the Orion -- Sandy spring.

-Horsehead.

-Horsehead is right.

This island and Assateague were populated by -- Sandy Spring.

-Chincoteague.

-Chincoteague is it.

That does it for our very fast Fast Start.

[ Cheers and applause ] Well, let's meet these very impressive teams.

We begin with the Churchill Bulldogs from Potomac, Maryland.

Hello, Colette.

What should we know about you?

-Um, I'm a junior in high school, and I play the piano.

-You play the piano?

And what types of things do you like to play on piano?

-Um, one of my favorite composers is Ravel.

-Mm.

Lovely.

How long have you been playing?

-Since I was about seven.

-Wow.

So you're pretty good by now.

-Hopefully.

-[ Laughs ] Hopefully.

Great to have you.

Hello, Ulden.

-Hello.

I'm Ulden.

I'm a junior at Winston Churchill High School, and I play violin.

-You play violin?

And do you also prefer classical?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Sometimes I am amazed, though, by those fiddle players.

They're really fast.

It's pretty amazing.

Good to have you.

And hello, Aaron.

-Oh, yeah.

Hello.

I'm also a junior.

-And?

-Oh, yeah.

-Give us more, please.

-I play chess.

-You play chess?

How long have you been playing chess?

-For, hmm, six years, I think.

-Wow.

When you sit down with an opponent, do you have a sense of "Yeah, I'm going to beat him" or "Oof, this will be tough"?

-I always feel it's going to be tough, so.

-Oh, and that's why you're good.

-Well...sure.

-Presumably.

Sure.

[ Laughter ] Alright, guys, here we go.

Papa In England.

You don't have to go to England to find, in this phrase, the last name of what American Revolutionary War author of "Common Sense"?

-Paine.

-Yep, it is Paine.

And you don't even have to buzz in for this round.

-Oh, yeah.

-Yeah.

Taxidermist, numismatist, toxicologist.

If a mystery writer needed to learn about various poisons, he or she would best contact which of these experts?

-Toxicologist.

-Yeah.

That's it.

Lake Geneva, Lake Lucerne.

If you Google these two lakes, you'd learn that they are both located in what same European alpine country?

-Switzerland.

-Yeah.

Taiwan, Ireland, New Guinea.

Which of these three islands is the largest?

-Sounds like Ireland.

-Ireland I think is... -Answer?

Just say Ireland.

Ireland.

-It's New Guinea.

This was the observation of what African-American educator who worked very hard to found the Tuskegee Institute?

-Washington.

Washington.

-You're right.

Booker T. Washington.

And that is it.

Nice job, Churchill, 190 points.

[ Applause ] From Sandy Spring, Maryland, the team from Sandy Spring Friends School.

And we begin with Justin.

Justin, how are you doing?

-I'm good.

Hi, I'm Justin.

I'm a 16-year-old junior, and I run cross-country.

-And I remembered that about you.

How far do you run?

-A 5K, so over three miles.

-What's your favorite distance to run?

-Um, probably, like, just a mile.

-Oh, just a mile.

Yeah, get it done with.

"I'm done."

Good to see you, Justin.

Hi, Diego.

-Hi, Hillary.

I'm Diego.

I am an 18-year-old senior at Sandy Spring Friends School.

And before we begin, I would just like to thank our coaches, Eduardo Polon and Mark Ehlers, for all the support they've given us over the past years as we've developed.

-Yeah.

And what should we know about you?

-I'm in the -- In addition to doing Quiz Bowl, I also am the captain of the speech team and also involved with the school play.

-Beautiful.

What are you working on this year?

-"Our Town."

-Oh, my favorite play.

It's also on Broadway right now, I believe.

Yeah.

So you can go look for it.

Hiya, Nate.

-Hi, Hillary.

I'm Nate.

I'm a junior at Sandy Spring Friends School.

Um, I'd like to thank the studio and you for having us.

-Well, of course.

That's the easy part, but we are so -- You know this is a new studio, everybody, right?

Yeah.

We're really happy to be here at WETA.

[ Cheers and applause ] Anything else we should know about you?

-I'm the clerk of the astronomy club and the history club at my school.

-Wow.

Cool.

I'm a big star fan, so you could teach me something.

Alright, guys, here are your questions.

The Final Amount.

You'll have 20 points if your final answer is the name of what San Antonio mission where a number of Americans fought a losing battle in 1836?

-Alamo.

-Yes.

Idyllic, stormy, long-lasting.

If you have a tempestuous relationship with someone, that relationship can best be described by which of these words?

-Stormy.

-Yes.

Jordan.

Japan.

These are two of the three countries in the United Nations whose name begins with J.

The third is what Caribbean island whose capital is Kingston?

-Jamaica.

-Yes.

Yalu, Blue Danube, Tiber.

Of these three rivers, which one flows into Asia's Yellow Sea?

-Yalu.

-Yalu.

-Yalu is right.

This bit of philosophy comes from what British Army officer often referred to as "of Arabia"?

-Lawrence.

-Lawrence.

-Lawrence is right.

Nice, Sandy Spring Friends.

250 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] From Bethesda, Maryland, the Walt Whitman Vikings.

Olivia, how are you doing?

-Hi, Hillary.

My name is Olivia Zhao, and I also like to play the piano.

-And what sort of things do you play?

I know you told me recently, but tell me again.

-Mostly classical music.

I like Chopin, W.C. -And how long have you been playing?

-About 12 years.

-Oh, right, so again, you're formidable on piano, I presume.

-I would hope so.

-Good to see you again.

Hello, Gavin.

-Hi, Hillary.

My name is Gavin Evans.

I'm a senior at Walt Whitman High School, and I have a part-time job at a Kumon tutoring center.

-Oh, that's great.

And what do you tutor?

-So, it's math and, like, reading and English for mostly middle-school- and elementary-school-age kids.

-And what do you gain from it personally?

-Um, well, it's really nice to see them develop because a lot of them have been coming for many years.

So I've watched them grow as people.

-Alright.

And hi, Jack.

Good to see you.

-Hi.

I'm Jack Pelmoter.

I'm a junior at Walt Whitman, and I'd like to give a big thank you to all the cameramen here, you know, working hard to put the show on.

-Absolutely.

[ Cheers and applause ] And now tell us a little tidbit about you.

-A little tidbit about me is every summer I go to Camp Airy Sleepaway Camp up in Thurmont.

It's a lot of fun.

-That's great.

Alright, guys, here we go.

Discus Territory.

-Custer.

-Make this your territory by finding in the phrase the name of what cavalry officer who made his last stand at Little Bighorn.

-Custer.

-Yes.

Misanthrope, stoic, philanthropist.

A person who hates his fellow man is best known by which of these words?

-Misanthrope.

-Yes.

Guadalcanal.

Santa Isabel.

These are two of the principal islands in what South Pacific island group which is itself named for a wise biblical king?

-The Solomon Islands?

The Solomon Islands.

-Yes, you're right.

Kalahari, Mojave, Gobi.

Which of these three deserts is located in southern Africa?

-Kalahari I think.

-Yeah.

-The Kalahari Desert.

-Yeah.

Napoleon wrote this about his brother Joseph, whom he nonetheless appointed king of what largest Iberian country?

-Spain.

-Spain is right.

Nice, Whitman.

220 points.

[ Applause ] That does it for Mix & Match.

We have Picture Perfect next.

-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.

♪♪ -It is time for Picture Perfect.

But before we jump in, let's recap those scores.

Churchill, 190.

Sandy Spring Friends, 250.

Walt Whitman, 220.

[ Applause ] In this round, questions are worth 20 points up or down.

Once again, first team to buzz in gets to answer.

Question one -- paying no attention to the camera here is a variety of chicken named for what smallest of our 50 -- -Rhode Island.

-Silver Spring -- Sandy Spring.

-Rhode Island.

-Yes, you're right, Medieval alchemists used this sign to represent what non-metallic element the ancients called brimstone?

Yes, Sandy Spring.

-Sulfur.

-Sulfur is correct.

According to Greek myth, these are what three women who spin -- Whitman.

-The Fates?

-The Fates is correct.

Taking all roots to be positive, what's the value of this expression, giving your answer as an integer?

Whitman.

[ Indistinct whispering ] Answer?

In 3, 2, 1.

I need an answer.

-31.

-32.

This page from an old Bible is named for what Egyptian port city famous for its ancient -- -Alexandria?

Alexandria?

-Yes, Sandy Spring Friends.

"I leave you love, I leave you hope, I leave you a thirst for education."

These words were part of the will of Mary McLeod Bethune, a civil-rights leader who advised six presidents, including what 32nd chief executive?

-Sandy Spring.

-FDR?

-FDR is right.

The red square here covers what noble gas?

Yes, Whitman.

-Xenon.

-Xenon is correct.

This is fibrolite, a rare stone found in what small Indian Ocean country whose capital is Colombo?

Yeah, Whitman.

-Sri Lanka.

-Sri Lanka it is.

And that does it for Picture Perfect.

[ Cheers and applause ] Churchill, 190 points.

Sandy Spring Friends, 330 points.

And Whitman, 260 points.

It is time to meet the folks who help these students prepare for competition.

And we begin with Churchill High School from Potomac.

Ulden is the captain.

Ulden, tell us who's here.

-Mr. Vickery is here, our coach.

Thank you for sponsoring us.

-Great to have him.

And from Sandy Spring Friends, Diego, who's here with you?

-So here with us today is our coach, Eduardo Polon.

He's a Spanish teacher as well as the chair of our global languages department.

And we also have two alternates, Ian Donoghue and Steve Kim.

So thank you, all of you, for supporting.

-And the wildebeest.

-And the wildebeest, yes.

-Don't forget the wildebeest.

Whoo!

Alrighty.

To Walt Whitman, Gavin.

-Alright.

We have our coach, Mr. Negrin, here with us.

Um, it's his second year doing it.

We're really glad he's able to sponsor us as a club, and we're super happy to have him.

We also have all of our parents here, and we're really glad that they could make it out to support us.

-Fabulous that everybody's here.

Thank you so much.

[ Applause ] Well, everybody, it's time for the Packet rounds.

I think you know how this works by now.

We're going to begin with Churchill, and Sandy Spring Friends gets to choose which envelope they'll answer questions from, 1, 2 or 3.

-We'll give them packet 2.

-Packet 2 for Churchill.

A life-span about 20 years is average for what large wild rodents who keep busy gnawing on trees and building dams?

-Beaver.

-Beaver.

I love watching them.

The most famous work by 17th-century writer Samuel Pepys and the only published work by Anne Frank are both examples of what type of personal journal?

-Diaries.

-Diary is right.

Each year to celebrate the summer solstice, many Britons gather near what rocky monoliths on Salisbury Plain?

-Stonehenge.

-Stonehenge.

Yeah.

Here's your science question.

Brownian effect, momentum, inertia.

The tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest and a body in motion to continue at constant velocity is which of these?

-Inertia.

-Yeah.

-Archaeologists have found human bones dating back to 200 A.D. on what G-initialed Pacific Island, a U.S. territory that sends a non-voting delegate to Congress?

-Guam.

-It is Guam.

Many children are named after famous people, but a fictional Indian boy was named after a swimming pool In what novel by Yann Martel?

-"Life of Pi."

-Yeah.

-"Life of Pi."

-"Life of Pi" is right.

Here's your math question.

What is the area of this trapezoid if its altitude is six?

[ Indistinct whispering ] Answer?

Need an answer.

In 3, 2 -- -48?

-Nope, it's 36.

Most assassinations cause grief, but the murder of an Austrian archduke with what two-word name precipitated World War I?

-Franz Ferdinand.

-Franz Ferdinand, it is.

Nice job, Churchill, 330 points.

[ Applause ] Alright, Sandy Spring Friends, your turn.

Whitman, you get to choose packet 1 or packet 3.

-Uh, we'll give them 3.

-Alright.

The midday surface temperature can be a toasty 700 degrees Fahrenheit on what planet closest to the sun?

-Mercury.

Mercury.

-Yes.

While searching for a cure for baldness, scientists accidentally grew fluorescent green fur on what small creatures such as the fictional Stuart Little?

-Mice?

Mice?

-Yes.

In 1930, thousands of Pittsburgh residents turned out to hear Admiral Richard Byrd describe his plans for exploring what continent that includes the Ross Ice Shelf?

-Antarctica.

-Yeah.

That's it.

Here's your science question.

Protons, neutrons, electrons.

Atoms of different elements cannot have the same number of which of these?

-Protons.

-Protons.

Protons?

-Protons it is.

After first studying law and medicine, what 16th-century Polish scholar turned to astronomy and developed the heliocentric theory of planetary motion?

-Copernicus.

-Yeah.

Mary Shelley wrote what novel subtitled "The Modern Prometheus," which later became a classic horror film?

-"Frankenstein."

-Frankenstein.

Yes.

Here's your math question.

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

-12 -12.

Yep.

An American proposal to build a 36-mile tunnel under the Bering Strait received authorization from what last czar of Russia overthrown in 1917.

-Nicholas II.

-Nicholas II gives Sandy Spring Friends a 25-point bonus.

[ Cheers and applause ] Nicely done.

Now packet number 1 for Whitman.

Scientists studying invisible astronomy have recorded gravitational waves stemming from what kind of entities so dense not even light can escape them?

-Black hole.

-Yes.

Bees chew on pollen and the pollen mixed with bees' saliva creates what sweet food beloved by Winnie the Pooh?

-Honey.

-Honey.

Yeah.

Though he had seven children with his first wife and 13 with his second wife, what abolitionist still found time to raid the arsenal at Harpers Ferry in 1859?

-John Brown.

-Yes.

Here's your science question.

Baking soda, soap flakes, vinegar.

Of these three items, which one would have a pH value of less than seven?

-Vinegar.

-Vinegar is right.

The idea of World Environment Day originated in the 1970s at a conference held in what Swedish capital city?

-Stockholm.

Stockholm.

-Correct.

The sad plight of migrant workers during the 1930s was memorably described in what John Steinbeck novel about the Joad family?

-"Of Mice and Men."

-No, it's "Grapes of Wrath."

Here's your math question.

Solve for X.

-3?

3?

-Yeah.

After a friend died from smallpox while imprisoned in debt, what man became a strong proponent of prison reform and founded the colony of Georgia as a haven for debtors?

-Go for it.

-Oglethorpe.

Oglethorpe?

-Yeah, you got it, Jack.

Nicely done, Walt Whitman, 400 points.

[ Applause ] Don't think about going anywhere because the Grab Bag is next.

-Hello, I'm David Rubenstein.

Did you know that Edwin Booth, whose brother John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln, had earlier saved the life of Abraham Lincoln's son Robert when Robert accidentally fell onto train tracks in 1864?

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

-Welcome back.

It is time for the Grab Bag round.

Teams, how are you feeling?

Yeah?

It's like, "Uh-oh, uh-oh."

[ Laughter ] A little tentative there.

Well, I think you're all doing great.

Let's recap the scores before we jump into the content, shall we?

Churchill, 330.

Sandy Spring Friends, 515, and Walt Whitman, 400 points.

[ Applause ] I know you know this, but questions are worth 20 points up or down.

Here we go.

Katharine Lee Bates wrote her song "America the Beautiful" after climbing what -- -Pikes Peak.

-Yes, very nicely done, Sandy Spring.

Choice -- A pair of stars orbiting each other is called a dwarf star, an annular ring, or a binary star system?

-Yes.

-Yeah, binary star system?

-Yeah.

That's right, Sandy Spring.

Some scientists have predicted a new source of protein in the milk of what insect known -- -Cockroaches.

-Sandy Spring?

-Cockroaches.

-Very good.

"La Cucaracha" was my next clue.

On your screens, part of the constellation Aquarius, this swirling nebula has what H initial?

Churchill.

Answer?

-Hexi?

-No.

Helix.

In 1819, the Supreme Court backed the doctrine of implied powers in its landmark decision in the case of what -- Churchill.

-McCulloch versus Maryland.

-McCulloch versus Maryland.

Yeah.

What is 3/5 of the cube root of 125?

Yep.

Whitman.

Answer?

-[ Whispering indistinctly ] -3?

-3 it is.

In 1883, people thousands of miles away heard the volcanic explosion on what island between -- Churchill.

Answer?

-Krakatoa.

-Krakatoa is right.

On your screens, these ancient ruins can be seen just a few hours' drive from what capital city of Jordan?

Churchill.

Answer in 3, 2, 1.

-Amman.

-Yes.

There's a lot of live action in Asbury Park, New Jersey, during its annual walk named for what undead creatures?

Whitman.

-Zombies.

-Zombies it is.

In "The Merchant of Venice," Shylock compares Portia to what biblical hero who emerged unharmed from a lion's den?

Sandy Spring.

-Daniel.

-Yeah.

Choice -- The reciprocal of the logarithm of the hydrogen ion content of a solution is better known as the -- Churchill.

-pH.

-pH it is.

On your screens -- What English queen was the head of state when the Spanish Armada was -- Churchill.

-Elizabeth I.

-Elizabeth I is right.

Not all mothers are sweet and certainly not Grendel's mother, a terrifying monster from what Anglo-Saxon -- Sandy Spring.

-"Beowulf."

-Yeah.

Though he was quite famous, there is no known portrait of what French architect who was hired to plan the city of Washington, D.C.?

Churchill.

-L'Enfant.

-Yep, L'Enfant is right.

One number is five times another, and their sum is 66.

Give either number.

Churchill.

-11.

-11 is right.

[ Buzzer ] And that is the end of the game.

[ Cheers and applause ] Stick around.

We'll be [Chuckles] getting the judges to tally up those scores and have them for you in just a moment.

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

Many students are getting involved in their communities in important ways.

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

-Hi, I'm Sydney Silva.

I go to Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, and I volunteer at a memory care where we talk and play games with people in the memory unit.

So this is a really meaningful experience to me because we get to hear from people and what they've learned throughout their life that's really stuck with them.

One piece of advice that's meant a lot to me is when you wake up in the morning, if you can't find something to laugh about, then go back to bed.

And I think hearing all these experiences from people who had a really different lifestyle than you is really beneficial, and I think that you really make their day by going and hanging out with them.

So it's definitely an experience that I would recommend.

-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.

-The scores are now official.

We begin with Walt Whitman High School from Bethesda, Maryland.

Olivia, Gavin, Jack, 440 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] In a very close score, we've got Churchill from Potomac, Maryland.

Colette, Ulden, and Aaron, 450 points.

[ Applause ] And coming back for the playoffs, can't keep your finger off the buzzer, Justin, Diego, Nate and the little baby wildebeest, 615 points.

Way to go, guys.

[ Cheers and applause ] Give yourselves a round of applause.

Whoo!

High-fives.

We are so happy that you were here to join us and can't wait to see you next time we meet.

I'm Hillary Howard.

Thanks for being here.

And remember, everybody.

-It's academic!

-Bye.

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

-Different in where we come from.

-Where we're going.

-In how we think.

-But the same in our dreams for tomorrow.

-Driven by the pull of possibility.

-To inspire.

-To think fearlessly.

-To protect and to heal the planet.

We know the world will change.

-Together... -We will be the ones to change it.

-Call Mason different.

All-- -Together.

-Different.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪