-From the Casey Studio at WETA... ...students from KIPP DC... ...Bowie... ...and Seneca Valley meet today on "It's Academic."

♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] Hello, everybody.

I'm Hillary Howard.

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.

[ Applause ] -Hello.

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

We're always glad to know you're there, and, students, we begin, as we always do, with the Fast Start.

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

First team to buzz in gets to answer, and the contestants don't see what you do on your screens.

Here we go.

Try not to hit the wall here, because all of these questions are all about walls, real and fictional.

Please identify the following.

Some mortar in China's Great Wall consists -- KIPP.

-The Great Wall.

-Uh, no, we're looking for, uh, "Contains this food grown in paddies."

We were looking for rice.

And the answer is Robert Frost.

Yes, Seneca Valley.

-Jericho.

-Yeah, that's it.

Any baseball people?

It is the Green Monster.

1989 marked the fall of the wall dividing -- Yes, Bowie.

-Berlin.

-Berlin is right.

And it was Hadrian.

Hadrian's Wall.

It -- Yes, Bowie?

-Sistine.

-Yeah, Sistine Chapel.

That's right.

A science-fiction author -- Robert Heinlein.

Yep, KIPP.

-Daniel.

-Daniel is right.

This nursery rhyme character "had a great fall" from -- -Humpty Dumpty.

-I'm sorry, Bowie?

-Humpty Dumpty.

-Humpty Dumpty is it.

Very good.

And that does it for the Fast Start.

Let's take a look at our scores.

KIPP DC -- 100 points.

Bowie -- 130 points.

Seneca Valley -- 110 points.

[ Applause ] Alright, how about we meet these students, and we begin with KIPP College Prep from Northeast D.C., home of the Panthers.

How are you doing, Janesa?

-I'm doing good.

-Good.

Tell us something about yourself.

-Um, my favorite thing to do is play video games.

-Oh, yeah.

Are you good?

-Mm-hmm.

-Oh, alright.

Jayden, hi.

-Hi.

My name is Jayden, and my favorite thing to do is read my Bible and go to church and help around my home.

-Beautiful, beautiful.

Hello, Makiah.

-Hello.

My name is Makiah, and I'm a senior at KIPP DC College Preparatory.

And I like to do community service hours at recreation centers.

-Beautiful.

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

They're worth 20 points.

Nothing off for a wrong answer.

Here we go.

"A trip to town."

Hidden here is the name of what fictional dog who took a long trip with Dorothy to the land of Oz.

-Toto.

-Yeah.

"Dark Doodad."

Dark Doodad is the name of a nebula in the constellation Musca, whose name means what insect that can be horse, fruit, or tsetse?

The answer is fly.

There's only one vowel in the last name of what African-American woman who stood up for civil rights when she refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus?

-Parks.

-Rosa Parks.

-Rosa Parks.

-Yeah.

"A very deep hole.

The center of a peach."

What same word fits both these definitions?

Answer...in three, two, one.

It's pit.

Krakatoa.

Mount St.

Helens.

Etna.

The temperature of the surrounding ocean jumped 50 degrees when which of these volcanoes exploded in 1883?

-Mount St.

Helens?

-No, it was Krakatoa.

"Claim everything; concede nothing; and if defeated, allege fraud."

This was the unethical approach of "Boss" Tweed, a 19th-century politician in what East Coast city where Zohran Mamdani was recently elected mayor?

The answer is New York City.

And that does it for Mix & Match.

KIPP DC -- 140 points.

[ Applause ] To Bowie High School from Prince George's County, home of the Bulldogs.

Hello, Aaron.

-Hi.

Um, I'm Aaron, I'm a senior, and I like to play with my dogs in my free time.

-Oh, that's always a good thing to do.

Good for your heart, right?

-Yeah.

-Hi, Danielle.

-Hi.

I'm Danielle.

I'm also a senior at Bowie, and I like doing K-pop cover dances in my free time.

-Oh, cool.

Oh, that's fun.

Hi, Marcus.

-Uh, hi.

I'm Marcus.

You're never going to believe it, but I'm also a senior at Bowie High School, and, uh, I like to intern at my school's library.

-Lovely.

Guys, I've got some questions for you.

"A lotto game."

Play this game and see if you can find the name of what item of clothing worn by citizens of ancient Rome.

-Toga.

-Yeah.

"Monkey Head."

This is the name of a nebula in what constellation whose name means "the hunter"?

-Orion.

-Yeah.

Put some letters around the "round" here, and you'll name what small burrowing animal that supposedly looks for its shadow on February 2nd.

-Groundhog.

-Groundhog.

-Groundhog.

-Groundhog is right.

"A fast airplane.

Deep black color."

What same three-letter word will satisfy both these definitions?

-Jet.

-Yes.

Costa Rica.

Chile.

Paraguay.

Which of these countries has the longest coastline running along the Pacific Ocean for over 1,500 miles?

-Chile.

-Yeah.

"There is hardly an island which affords less refreshment."

In 1774, the explorer Captain Cook wrote this about what barren Pacific Island named for a spring religious holiday.

-Easter.

-Yes.

And that does it for Mix & Match.

Nice, Bowie.

250 points.

[ Applause ] To Seneca Valley High School from Montgomery County, home of the Screaming Eagles.

Hello, Vielka.

How are you?

-Hi.

I'm Vielka.

I'm a freshman at Seneca Valley High School, and I really do and love writing.

I enjoy writing.

-Oh, wonderful.

Also good for the heart, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Hello, Hasini.

-Hi.

I'm Hasini.

I really like to play volleyball, and I plan on joining the J.V.

team next year.

-Awesome.

Maya, hello.

-Hello, Hillary.

I'm a freshman at Seneca Valley High School, and I enjoy helping out others and doing community service.

-Wonderful.

Good to have you guys.

And now your questions.

"Thorium or selenium."

Hidden here is the name of what American who developed the telegraph and the telegraphic code?

-Morse.

Morse.

-Morse.

-Yes, it is.

Samuel Morse.

"Spaghetti."

This is the name of a nebula in the constellation whose name Taurus refers to what animal in the zodiac?

-The bull.

-Yeah.

Please fill in the blanks around this "lad," and you can name what "City of Brotherly Love" where the Liberty Bell is on display?

-Philadelphia.

-Yes, it is Philadelphia.

"A leading actor.

Polaris or Betelgeuse."

What same word fits both of these definitions?

[ Indistinct whispering ] Answer.

-Role?

-No, star.

Afghanistan.

Syria.

Iran.

Which one of these countries does not border Iraq?

[ Indistinct whispering ] -Syria.

-No, Afghanistan.

"When in doubt, strike it out."

Here we have Mark Twain's opinion of what part of speech used to modify nouns?

-Do you know?

-Adverb.

-Adverb?

-Adjectives.

You got the first part right.

That does it for Seneca Valley.

Nice.

170 points.

[ Applause ] That's it for Mix & Match.

We have Picture Perfect next.

See you in a minute.

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... -Little did they know that over the course of the next 65 years, thousands of high-school students would follow them onto the set and into broadcast history.

-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.

-Today, "It's Academic," is celebrating 65 years, and is the world's longest-running TV quiz show.

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

And remember, "It's Academic."

[ Applause ] -Jaden, the Panther from KIPP College Preparatory school.

[ Chuckles ] Those are very sharp teeth you have there, Jaden the Panther.

[ Chuckles ] Glad you stayed over there.

Alright, guys, it's time for the Picture Perfect round.

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

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

Here we go.

An agave plant is so long lived that it has what alternate name, referring to a period of 100 years?

Yep, Bowie.

-Century.

-That's it.

The Ledenika Cave is a popular attraction in what Eastern European country whose capital is Sofia?

The answer is Bulgaria.

There are many colors in this Kandinsky painting, but it's named for what light pastel color that's a mix of red and white?

Yep, Bowie.

-Pink.

Pink it is.

Solve for "X."

Anyone?

The answer is 4.

A warning against eating garlic appears in act four of what Shakespeare comedy that includes the characters Titania and Puck?

Yep.

Bowie.

-"Midsummer Night's Dream."

-You've got it.

"I was made for the library."

These are the words of what man, the author of "Between the World and Me"?

Anybody?

It's Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Choice -- which of these occurs naturally as a diatomic element?

Yep, Bowie.

-Carbon dioxide.

-Uh, no, it was, uh, iodine, the first choice.

This 16th-century map shows the southernmost region of what continent where you can find Cape Horn and Tierra del Fuego?

And it is the very end of South America.

And that does it for the Picture Perfect round.

Let's recap those scores.

KIPP DC -- 140 points.

Bowie -- 290 points Seneca Valley -- 170 points.

[ Applause ] And now it's time to meet the coaches, and I love this because all of these coaches are so dedicated to helping their students.

We begin with KIPP DC.

Jayden, who's standing behind you?

-This is our U.S.-government coach and also coach Mr.

Gleditsch, and this is our counselor and coach, Mr.

Wu.

Our third coach... was, unfortunately, not able to be here today, but we still thank him for getting us here.

-Alright.

Really good to see you guys.

Glad you're here.

And over to Bowie.

Who's behind you, Danielle?

-Uh, this is Mr.

Patrick Morris.

He's one of our government teachers at Bowie.

-Yeah.

-And this is, unfortunately, his last year at Bowie.

He's retiring.

-Oh, no.

How many years?

You've been here a long time.

-Uh, teaching for 25, doing this for 13 or so, I think.

-Yeah, right.

So that's just about when I started this show... -Right, right.

-...14 years ago.

Well, it's good to see you.

Sorry to see you go.

And over to Seneca Valley.

Who's standing behind you, Hasini?

-So we have our coach.

He's also our math teacher.

And we also have our vice principal, uh, Mrs.

Heckert.

-Wonderful.

Really good to see all of you.

Thanks so much for being here.

[ Applause ] And now we can begin the Packet round.

You all know how this works.

There are three packets.

KIPP, you get to answer questions first.

Bowie, you get to choose which packet those questions will be from.

-Uh, number two.

-Number two.

Questions are worth 20 points.

Nothing off for a wrong answer.

And if you get all the questions right, there's a 25-point bonus.

Here we go.

An 1861 skirmish with Native Americans was the earliest combat that led to the awarding of what highest U.S.

military decoration?

It is the Congressional Medal of Honor.

In 1922, telephone service across the United States was momentarily interrupted to mark the death of what man who had invented the telephone?

-Alexander Graham Bell.

-Yeah, that's it.

If the Constitution is the cement that holds our government together, then what articles served as its glue from 1781 to 1788?

-Articles of Confederation.

-You've got it.

Here's your science question.

Fluid.

Plasma.

Colloid.

The gases in the sun exhibit such different properties from ordinary gases that they are considered to be in a fourth state of matter described by which of these terms?

-Plasma.

-Plasma.

-Yeah, it's plasma.

There was only one year of peace during the 43-year reign of what 17th-to-18th century Russian czar known as "the Great."

-Alexander.

-Nah, it's Peter.

The lives of characters living in fictional towns of East Egg and West Egg are scrambled in what 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald?

-"The Great Gatsby."

-Yeah.

Here's your math question.

Taking positive roots, evaluate this problem, giving your answer as an integer.

-[ Whispering indistinctly ] -Answer...is... six.

Ignorance brought little bliss to the Know Nothing Party in 1856, when what candidate who had been our 13th president tried unsuccessfully to win another term?

It was the one, the only Millard Fillmore.

KIPP DC, home of the Panthers -- 220 points.

[ Applause ] Bowie, you're up.

Seneca Valley, packet one or three?

-One.

-One.

"Z" is the least used of our 26 letters, but it occurs twice in the name of what popular flat pie made with tomato, cheese and other toppings.

-Pizza.

-[ Chuckling ] Yeah.

Though it's not the largest planet in our solar system, the one with the largest number of moons, 274, is what second-largest planet?

-Saturn.

-Yeah, two small ships are on the state flag of New York, but there's an anchor on the flag of what New England state whose capital is Providence?

-Rhode Island.

Uh-huh.

Good.

Science question.

Microspore.

Ganglion.

Mitochondrion.

A spore that will generate into a male plant is known as which of these?

-Microspore.

-That's it.

The first elevator in the Washington Monument operated not on electricity, but on what other sort of power associated with James Watt?

The answer is steam.

When George Orwell was at Eton, one of the teachers was what young man who would later write "Brave New World"?

It was Aldous Huxley.

Here's your math question.

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

-10.

-10.

-Yeah, it's 10.

A plaque saying "the buck stops here" was kept on the desk of what 33rd president in office at the end of World War II?

-Do you know?

-It was Harry Truman.

-Oh.

-Bowie, home of the Bulldogs -- 390 points.

[ Applause ] Packet number three, Seneca Valley.

Before Noah Webster wrote his dictionary, he published a book on what academic skill that's tested in a children's competition called a bee?

-Spelling.

-Spelling bee.

-Yeah, spelling bee.

Parabolas, hyperbolas, and ellipses are all plane curves of what geometric form that's most appealing when filled with ice cream?

-A cone.

-Yeah, it's a cone.

The name of what mythical river of the underworld sounds as if it were made of small pieces of wood.

-Styx.

-Styx.

-Yep, the River Styx.

Here's your science question.

Joules.

Ergs.

Watts.

Which of these is the unit used to express energy in the CGS system?

-Watts.

-Watts.

-Watts.

-Nope.

It's ergs.

Tanzania's Eastern Arc Mountains, home to many endangered animals, are only half the height of what highest African mountain?

-Mount Kilimanjaro.

-Mount Kilimanjaro.

-That is right.

With time on his hands, what 19th-century author lived by himself for two years, two months, and two days at Walden Pond?

-Do you know?

-Mnh-mnh.

[ Indistinct whispering ] -It was...Thoreau.

Here's your math question.

Find the value of "X" in this proportion.

-Six.

-Six is right.

After he was arrested for speeding, what 18th president had to walk back to the White House when the police impounded his horse and carriage?

-[ Whispers indistinctly ] -Jackson.

-Jackson.

-Nah, it was Ulysses S. Grant, but nicely done, Seneca Valley.

270 points.

[ Applause ] That's it for the Packet round.

We have the Grab Bag coming at you next.

"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 D.C.

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 ] We have reached the Grab Bag round.

Teams, in this round, questions are worth 20 points up or down.

The first team to buzz in gets to answer.

Here we go.

You can't be backed into a corner in what White House office named for its elliptical design?

-Oval.

-Bowie, yep.

Oval is right.

The NCAA paid over $17 million to protect its trademark on what two-word name for the competition that could be called spring insanity?

-Yep, Bowie.

-March Madness.

-It is March Madness.

It's often forgotten that among the 19th century crusaders for women's suffrage was what woman who founded the American Red Cross?

Yep, Seneca Valley.

-Nightingale.

-Nah, close.

Clara Barton.

On your screens.

"Yesterday, we captured six cows."

This uninspiring battlefield report was made by what Civil War Union general nicknamed "Little Mac"?

The answer is McClellan.

Choice -- when two oxygen atoms form a molecule, they're held together by ionic bonding, metallic bonding, or covalent bonding?

Yep, Bowie.

-Ionic bonding?

-No, covalent bonding.

The Library of Congress hit a home run when it received the collected papers of what baseball player, the first African-American in the modern major leagues?

Bowie.

-Jackie Robinson.

-That's right.

A Portuguese term meaning "beautiful island" was the source of the name Formosa, which remains an alternative name for what island off the coast of China?

It is Taiwan.

On your screens -- "aces lit."

Please rearrange the letters in this phrase to identify what clause in Article I of the Constitution, which allows for flexibility in the exercise of government powers.

-Elastic.

-Yep, that's right, Bowie.

The Model T Ford was originally available in green until Henry Ford determined it was cheaper to paint all Model T's in what same basic color?

Yep, Bowie.

-Gray?

-Nope.

It was black.

What number is the multiplicative identity element?

The answer is one.

The actuarial tables used by insurance companies were first devised by what English astronomer who also calculated the return of the comet that reappears every -- every 75 years?

It is Halley's Comet.

On your screens -- artist Henri Matisse -- artist Henri Matisse painted this self-portrait.

in what year, one year after the Treaty of Portsmouth ended the Russo-Japanese War?

Which was 1906.

In addition to the musical work by Gounod, at least 50 other operas have been written about what legendary scholar who sells his soul to the devil?

-Yep, KIPP.

-Judas.

-Nah, it was Faust.

Choice -- [ Buzzer ] And that does it.

That's the end of the game.

We're going to have the official scores for you in just a minute, so stick around.

-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" 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 weta.org/wetaplus.

[ Applause ] The scores are now official.

We begin with KIPP College Prep in Northeast D.C., home of the Panthers, Janesa, Jayden, Makiah -- 200 points.

[ Applause ] From Seneca Valley in Montgomery County, home of the Screaming Eagles, Vielka, Hasini, and Maya -- 250 points.

[ Applause ] And the victor of this game, Bowie, home of the Bulldogs, from Prince George's County, Aaron, Danielle, Marcus -- 430 points.

Nice, guys.

[ Applause ] That does it for us.

We are so happy that you were here.

I'm Hillary Howard.

See you next time.

And remember, everybody, "It's Academic!"

Bye-bye.

See you.

-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.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪