-From the KC Studio at WETA, students from Edison... St.

John's College High School... and Osbourn meet today on "It's Academic."

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

Welcome to "It's Academic," the world's longest-running TV quiz show, now in its 65th season, produced by Altman Productions and the great WETA.

-Support for "It's Academic" has been provided by the following... George Mason University -- All Together Different.

-Call us different.

-Different in where we come from... -...where we're going... -...and 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.

♪♪ -Hi.

We are so happy that you've joined us for another "It's Academic" match.

We are very excited to get started today.

And we do so with the Fast Start like always.

Guys, you know how this works.

Questions are worth 10 points up or down.

First team to buzz in gets to answer.

And, you guys, the students don't see what you do on the screens at home.

Let's begin.

Answers end in H. You want to think backwards here because all your answers must end with the letter H, as in "hunch."

St.

John's -Earth.

-Earth is it.

This racket sport is played on a court surrounded by four -- St.

John's.

Answer?

Three, two, one.

Squash.

Osbourn.

Answer?

In three, two, one.

Frederick North.

Lord North.

Yup, St.

-- -Free speech.

-Yes, speech is correct, St.

John's.

Yes, Edison.

-Bismuth.

-Correct.

Answer is "Hallelujah."

Once known as East Pakistan, this country has its capital -- Edison.

-Bangladesh.

-Correct.

Yes, Edison.

-Bandwidth.

-Yeah.

Yup, St.

John's.

-Savannah.

-Correct.

Yep, Edison.

-Ostrich.

-Ostrich it is, and that does it for our Fast Start.

Let's recap the scores.

Edison 140, St.

John's College High School 120, Osbourn 90 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] Alright, let's find out who's on these teams.

We begin with Edison High School from Franconia in Fairfax County.

How are you doing, Quentin?

-Hi.

I'm good.

I'm Quentin.

I'm a senior at Edison High School.

I like birding, and I really like reading philosophy.

-Oh, very nice.

Hi, Josie.

-Hi.

-Tell us about yourself.

-I'm a 17-year-old senior at Edison, and I really like comic books.

-Mm.

And Drew.

-Hi, I'm Drew.

I'm a 17-year-old senior at Edison, and I really like college basketball.

-Alright, guys, I've got some questions for you.

In this round, questions are worth 20 points.

Nothing off for a wrong answer, which is really, really good.

You can take a chance.

Here we go.

Trolley car verses.

Now, there's a kind of poetry you don't see much, but you can find in this phrase the last name of what scientist who found many uses for peanuts?

-Carver.

-Yes.

By filling in the blank with a word meaning "dorsal," you can name the huge stone scientists had to climb to reach the bones of a newly discovered humanoid species.

-Fin?

-Nah.

Back.

"Dorsal" means "back."

Insincere, weak, robust, related.

Of these four words, which two are best paired as being opposite in meaning?

-Weak and robust.

-Weak and robust.

-Yeah, that's it.

Mount Katahdin, Springer Mountain.

You can hike from this mountain in Maine to this mountain in Georgia on what trail that names the mountain chain in which they're both located?

-Appalachian.

-Yeah, that's it.

Oslo, Madrid, Paris.

Of these three European capital cities, which one is farthest south?

-Madrid.

-Madrid.

-Madrid is right.

"The avoidance of blank is the only intellectual pursuit that carries any reward."

Please fill in the blank with what word that is the concern of the IRS?

-Taxes.

-Taxes is right.

Nicely done, Edison.

240 points.

[ Applause ] Off we go to St.

John's College High School in Washington, DC.

Hey, Liz, tell us something about yourself.

-I'm a senior at St.

John's, and I really love to read.

And I coach a third- and fourth-grade volleyball team.

-Ah, that's wonderful.

Hi, Willfred.

-Hello.

I'm Wilfred.

I'm a junior, and currently I'm interested in learning about the maps of metro lines.

-Oh, I like -- That's interesting.

Hi, Nica.

-Good morning.

I'm a senior at St.

John's, and I really enjoy running.

-How far do you run?

-Um, longest I've ever done was about three weeks ago with my cousin -- nine miles.

-Ooh, wow.

Alright, guys.

Let's see how you run with these questions.

First one.

Great hens live here.

You'll do great here if you find the hidden name of what capital city of Greece?

-Athens.

-Athens.

-Yes.

Fill in the blanks, and you can name what large black jungle cat that technically is a black leopard?

-Panther.

-Panther.

-Panther it is.

Chronic, obscure, lucid, cheap.

Which two of these words would best be paired as opposite in meaning?

-Obscure and lucid?

-Obscure and lucid.

-Obscure and lucid.

-That's right.

Chumvi, garam.

These are the Swahili and Indonesian words for what basic flavoring whose chemical formula is NaCl, sodium chloride?

-Salt.

-Yeah.

Indonesia, Algeria, Kuwait.

To study orangutans in their native habitat, you should go to which of these countries?

-Indonesia.

-Yeah.

"To earn a living can be as hard as to part the blank Sea."

-Red Sea.

-To complete this -- Oh.

Well, I'll read the question for you anyway.

To complete this quotation, add the name of what colorfully named Middle East sea, whose waters were parted by Moses?

And you already said... -Red.

-Correct.

I want to do that because our writers really like us to read their questions.

Nicely done, St.

John's.

240 points.

[ Applause ] And now to Osbourn High School from Manassas City.

How you doing, Gabrielle?

-I'm good.

How are you?

-Very well, thank you.

What should we know about you?

-I'm Gabrielle, I'm a senior in Osbourn High School, and I'm part of the tennis team.

-Awesome.

Hi, Victoria.

-Hi.

How are you?

-I'm well, thanks.

-I'm Victoria.

I am a senior at Osbourn High School, and I really enjoy psychology and math.

-Wonderful.

And Marshall.

-Hi, I'm Marshall, I'm a senior at Osbourn, and I enjoy learning about organic chemistry, and I'm also a part of theater.

-Very nice, guys.

Here are your questions.

A September link.

No matter what month it is, if you study this phrase, you can find the hidden name of what German capital city?

-Berlin.

-Yes.

Blank Sea, blank Nile.

To name these two bodies of water, fill in the blanks with what same color light, created by combining all colors in the visible spectrum?

-White?

White.

-Yep.

That's it.

Opaque, raw, calm, placid.

Which two of these words are similar in meaning?

-Opaque and placid?

1 and 4?

-1 and 4.

No.

It's calm and placid.

Kara-Kum, Kyzil-Kum.

A computer search of these two names would show that these are what same type of geographical area as the Gobi or Mojave?

-Deserts?

Desert.

-Yep, desert's right?

Dud, quiz, serape.

Which of these words is a palindrome?

-Dud?

Dud.

-Dud it is.

"There's more blank in books than in all the pirates' loot on blank Island."

To complete this quote from Walt Disney, place in both blanks what same word that describes the island in the title of a novel by Robert Louis Stevenson?

-Treasure.

-You've got it right.

Nicely done, Osbourn.

190 points.

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

We have Picture Perfect coming at you next.

Stick around.

"It's Academic" has been on the air for 65 years.

And over the decades, we've showcased thousands of high school students from all over the DC area.

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

With the recent 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.

[ Applause ] Eagle power!

That's the Edison Eagle.

And these are the sibling Eagles with Osbourn High School.

[ Applause ] [ Chuckles ] Flying off.

I told everybody before the Eagles came out to hide their small mammals and reptiles.

You know, bad things can happen.

Alright, guys, we are about to begin the Picture Perfect round, which is always fun.

And you know questions in this round are worth 20 points up or down.

First team to buzz in gets to answer.

Teams, the iora is a tropical bird with an instinct for construction, as it holds its nest together with what sort of sticky structures spun by spiders?

Yep, St.

John's.

-Webs.

-That's it.

The Americans would not have won the Battle of Yorktown without the French fleet led by what, Admiral?

Yep, St.

John's.

-Rochambeau?

-No.

de Grasse.

Good guess, though.

There is an annual tulip festival in the town of Holland in what Great Lakes state where Lansing is the capital?

Edison.

-Michigan.

-Correct.

Evaluate this expression, giving your answer as a positive integer.

St.

John's.

-4.

-4 is right.

This orchid is native to what South American country named for its location along zero degrees latitude?

-Ecuador.

-Yeah.

That's right.

FaithlessQueen.gov.

Had there been an Internet back then, this might have been the website for what queen -- -Anne Boleyn?

-No.

We're looking for Guinevere.

Sorry.

Before Mae Jemison became an a-- Yes, St.

John's.

[ Chuckles ] If you get this one, it'll be -- -Sally Ride.

-No, but I'll read the question.

Became an astronaut in 1992, she served as a Peace Corps doctor in what African country, where Monrovia is capital?

The answer was... -Liberia.

-...Liberia, yes.

In 1861 Virginia, these are Union soldiers fighting in the first famous land battle of the Civil War.

Which one?

Yup, St.

John's.

-Bull Run.

-That is well done.

And that does it for Picture Perfect.

Let's look at these scores.

Edison 240, St.

John's 280, Osbourn 190 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] So, you've already met the students, which was a wonderful thing because we love them.

Now we get to meet the other people we have great affection for -- the coaches and administrators.

And we begin with Edison.

So, tell us who's with you, Josie.

-This is Mr.

Pandin.

He's a history teacher and also an "It's Academic" and "Jeopardy!"

winner.

-Wow!

What was it like to win "Jeopardy!"?

-[ Chuckles ] It was a lot of fun.

-[ Laughs ] I bet.

To St.

John's.

Willfred, who's standing behind you?

-This is Mr.

Christian Bryan, and he is a longtime fan of "It's Academic," ever since he was a kid.

-Oh, yeah?

Did you grow up here?

-Uh, I did not.

-Alright.

Where did you watch?

-Well, in graduate school.

-Okay, awesome.

-So, I was a kid.

[ Laughter ] -Yes.

To Osborn High School and Victoria.

-These are our amazing coaches, Ms.

Bond, Ms.

Haygood, and Mr.

Iqbal.

-Wonderful to have you guys.

Thank you so much for being here and supporting your students.

[ Applause ] And now that we've completed all those introductions, we can get to the Packet round.

And you guys know how this works.

Edison, you're up first.

You answer questions from one of these packets, and, St.

John's, you get to choose which packet it will be.

-Let's give them 3.

-Ohh, let's give them 3.

Okay.

The Indiana town of North Webster hooks visitors with an annual festival dedicated to what legendary creature, half-woman, half-fish?

-Mermaid.

-Mermaid, yeah.

Many passengers must have felt sunk when sailing with the mythical Charon, who transported the souls of the dead across what River of Hades?

-Styx.

-Yes.

Natives of the Solomon Islands have one of the shortest alphabets, consisting of how many letters, 15 fewer than the number in our English alphabet?

-11.

-That's right.

Here's your science question.

Limes, dates, pears.

At one time, a ship embarking on a long voyage would carry which of these fruits to prevent scurvy among the crew?

-Limes.

-Yeah, that's right.

Some critics use the term "conscience money" to describe the $10 million paid to Mexico for what 1853 land purchase named for its U.S.

negotiator?

Anybody?

It is the Gadsden Purchase.

Crime certainly didn't pay for the 40 thieves outwitted by what character from the Arabian Nights stories?

-[ Gasps ] No.

-You know it.

You know it.

Come on, come on.

The answer is... Ali Baba, Ali Baba and the 40 thieves.

Here's your math question.

Taking positive roots, evaluate this expression.

-20.

-Yeah, that's it.

In 2001, insights into mankind's ancestry were raised by the discovery of a 3-million-year-old skull in what African country whose capital is Nairobi?

-Kenya.

-Yeah, that's it.

Nicely done.

Edison, 360 points.

[ Applause ] You ready, St.

John's?

Alright, what packet are they going to answer questions from, Osbourn?

-2.

-2.

The ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus supposedly died when a tortoise was dropped on his head by what bird, the symbol of the United States?

-Eagle.

-Eagle, Eagle.

-Eagle.

-Yeah, and we have three of them in the audience today.

Watch out.

The University of Hawaii once sponsored a contest for recipes to be served on a simulated trip to what planet, fourth from the sun?

-Mars?

-Yes, that's it.

If you've been a follower of Walter the Penniless or Peter the Hermit, you'd have been part of what medieval religious military expedition to capture the Holy Land?

-Crusades.

-Yeah.

Here's your science question.

Photons, electrons, neutrons.

Uranium-235 and uranium-238 are different in structure by the number of which of these?

-Neutrons.

-That is it.

The Bank of England was founded during the reign of what English queen who ruled jointly with her husband, William?

-Mary.

-That's it.

Mary.

Unable to earn enough money as a struggling physician, what Englishmen sought to cure his financial woes by writing detective stories about Sherlock Holmes?

-Arthur Conan Doyle.

-Arthur Conan Doyle.

-Yeah.

Who knew?

I didn't know he was a doctor.

Here's your math question.

Solve for x.

[ Indistinct whispering ] -72.

-No.

74.

So close.

The only country on the European continent that has never changed its name is what nation whose capital is Sofia?

-Bulgaria.

-It is Bulgaria.

Well done, St.

John's.

420 points.

[ Applause ] And now we have packet number 1, Osbourn.

Though the Catholic Church has never endorsed them, what New Orleans NFL team is named for the canonized individuals of the church?

No sports fans?

it is the New Orleans Saints.

Before there was a White House in Washington, the term "White House" referred to the childhood home of what British king who lost the 13 American colonies?

-George?

George.

-You've got it.

Three scientists shared the 1996 Nobel Chemistry Prize for their discovery of buckyballs, a form of what element whose other forms include graphite and diamonds?

[ Indistinct whispering ] -Lead?

-No.

It's carbon.

Here's your science question.

Sodium, zinc, cobalt.

Galvanized iron does not rust due to a protective covering of which of these metallic elements?

[ Indistinct whispering ] -Zinc?

-Yes, it's zinc.

Well done.

It wasn't until five years after Mount Everest was first climbed that anyone scaled El Capitan in what California national park?

The answer is... Yosemite.

"From a Buick 8" is a book by what modern American author who cruised to success with horror novels like "The Mist" and "The Shining"?

It is -- and I know you're gonna know it when I say it -- Stephen King.

Here's your math question.

Solve for X, giving your answer as a positive integer.

-7.

-You've got it.

The first overseas landing of the US Marines took place in 1776, when they assaulted an English base on what island chain whose modern capital is Nassau?

It is the beautiful Bahamas.

Osbourn, home of the Eagles, 250 points.

[ Applause ] The Grab Bag can be fast and furious, and teams can rack up a lot of points.

Anything can happen.

It's next.

Did you know you can't sneeze while sleeping?

Which is a good thing because you couldn't grab a Kleenex.

You also can't hum when you hold your nose.

Don't believe me?

Try it.

And now you know.

[ Applause ] I am so excited because it's time for the Grab Bag.

Let's recap the scores first.

Edison 360 points, St.

John's 420 points, Osbourn 250 points.

[ Applause ] Teams, questions are worth 20 points up or down.

First team to buzz in gets to answer.

Here we go.

A pioneer in creating special effects, Willis O'Brien worked on what classic 1933 film about a giant ape discovered on Skull -- -"King Kong."

-St.

John's.

Yeah, that's it.

"King Kong."

What evil old man ran a school for pickpockets in Charles Dickens's "Oliver Twist"?

The answer is Fagin.

In 1900, a Chinese group called the Righteous Harmonious Fists protest foreign influence by staging -- -Boxer Rebellion.

-Correct.

Nicely done.

Choice -- porpoises and dolphins are cetaceans and are most closely related to -- St.

John's.

-Whales.

-Whales is right.

Using embryonic stem cells, scientists treating injured gerbils were able to partially repair what handicap from which Beethoven had suffered?

-Deafness.

-Deafness is right.

Edison, what trigonometric function equals the product of the sine and the secant?

Yes, Osbourn.

-Tan.

-Yeah.

I'm sorry?

-Tangent.

-Yeah, that's it.

Nice.

Over 100 years ago, in 1918, 15 million people -- Over 100 years ago, in 1918, 50 million people died in what worldwide -- Yes, St.

John's.

-World War I.

-No.

The flu.

The Spanish flu.

On your screens.

"Any man whose errors take 10 years to correct is quite a man."

This is a quote from what American physicist who was the scientific director of the Manhattan Project?

Yup, Edison.

-Oppenheimer.

-Correct.

In 1861, the legal case ex parte Merryman established that President Abraham Lincoln had no right to suspend what legal writ, even in -- Edison.

-Habeas corpus.

-Correct.

Choice -- If you look at the periodic table of elements, you'll note that nitrogen has an atomic number of 5, 7, or 9?

Yep, Osbourn.

-7.

-Correct.

Nice.

It was on what Philippine peninsula that an infamous World War II death march occurred in 19-- St.

John's.

-Bataan.

-Yeah.

On your screens.

The generator in this shed provides electric power for an Indian village in what Central American country whose capital is Belmopan?

Yep, St.

John's.

-Belize.

-Correct.

The 1972 Apollo 16 module that landed on the moon was named for what legendary hunter whose name was given to -- -Orion.

-Yeah, Orion is right, St.

John's.

Jacob Broom swept his way into history by signing the Constitution as a representative from what Mid-Atlantic state, the first to ratify that document?

St.

John's.

-Delaware.

-Yeah.

Jazz composer and DC native Duke Ellington wrote a musical piece whose title linked the word "Mood" with what I-initial shade of blue?

Yes, Edison.

-Indigo.

-Yeah.

"Mood Indigo."

On your screens.

Catalase, peroxidase, hydrogenase.

Which of these is the enzyme which permits the breakdown -- Edison.

-Catalase.

-Catalase is right.

The bee hummingbird, the world's smallest bird, is native to -- [ Buzzer ] That does it.

That's the end of the game.

Well done, everybody.

[ Applause ] Stay where you are.

We'll have the scores in just a minute.

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 DC-area viewers like you.

With WETA+ you can watch local shows like "It's Academic" or PBS hits like "Masterpiece" wherever 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... [ Applause ] The scores are now official.

We begin with Osbourn High School in Manassas City, Gabrielle, Victoria, Marshall, 290 points!

[ Cheers and applause ] Big applause!

From -- Oops, wrong side!

Edison, home of the Eagles, Quentin, Jose, Drew, 480 points!

[ Cheers and applause ] And blowing it up today, we have St.

John's College High School from DC, Liz, Willfred, Nica, 520 points!

Beautiful!

[ Applause ] We are so happy that you were able to join us today.

Can't wait to see you next time.

Remember, everybody... -It's academic!

-I'm Hillary Howard.

See ya.

Bye-bye.

-Support for "It's Academic" has been provided by the following... George Mason University -- All Together Different.

-Call us different.

-Different in where we come from... -...where we're going... -...and 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.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪