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

-Coming up next, it's Miller... [cheers and applause] ...taking on Rogich!

[cheers and applause] This is the Junior Varsity Quiz Blue League Championship!

[crashing sound] ♪♪ [cheers and applause] Hello and welcome to the 56th season of Varsity Quiz, continuing now with Junior Varsity Quiz.

It's an honor to be your host.

I'm Nathan Tannenbaum.

So back in February, there were eight middle and junior high school teams that competed in a Virtual JVQ league.

Then in March, we had 30 middle school and junior high school teams competing in a one-day tournament that took place over at Chaparral High School.

Miller Middle School defeated Hyde Park to get to the championship today.

Rogich Middle School defeated Martin Middle School.

So we have our starting players for Miller.

There's Genesis.

Hi, Genesis.

-Hello.

-There's Ronan.

-Hello.

-Liam.

-Hi.

-And Noble.

-Hi.

-And the coaches for Miller Middle School, Celia Erickson and Erick Ekker.

Ladies and gentlemen, Miller Middle School!

[cheers and applause] And the starters for Rogich: We have Zachary.

Hi, Zachary.

-Hi.

-There's Cindy.

-Hi.

-Hi, Cindy.

-Vincent.

-Hello.

-Hi, Vincent.

-And Mia.

-Hi.

-And the coaches for Rogich, Rei Vital and Keegan Tetrault.

Players, you ready?

Let's play Varsity Quiz.

In what Washington city can tourists go to the top of-- We'll go with Miller, Liam: Seattle -Yes.

Points on the board for Miller.

We continue.

This singer collaborated with Megan Thee Stallion on a song that opens, "You know what?

It's not my fault you're like in love with me or something."

Name this woman who also played Regina George in the-- We'll go with Rogich, Mia: Reneé Rapp -That's right.

Points on the board for Rogich.

Let's keep rolling.

This man founded a successful social media site that doubled its character limit in 2017.

He sold Twitter for 40-- Rogich, Vincent: Mark Zuckerberg -Incorrect.

And that is an interrupt --for $44 billion.

[bell chimes, time expires] [buzzer sound] -Okay, so that was after the buzzer.

We were looking for Jack Dorsey.

Zuckerberg's Facebook.

Dorsey's Twitter.

So no points.

We move on.

What's the name for the first time a company sells stock?

Facebook had a disappointing one back in 2012.

[bell chimes, time expires] [buzzer sound] -After the buzzer.

We were looking for Initial Public Offering.

No points.

People in this organization ran for office to be praetors or consuls.

Name this legislative body from ancient Rome.

Rogich, Zachary: Roman Senate -That is correct.

Points continue for Rogich, and we move on to a calculation question, students.

Answer the following about a right triangle whose legs have lengths of 4 and 7 meters.

Now rounded to the nearest integer, what's the length of the triangle's hypotenuse?

I'll repeat.

The following is about a right triangle, legs of lengths 4 and 7 meters-- We'll go with Rogich, Cindy: 8 meters -That is correct.

Next question.

What American architect most famously designed the residence of Edgar Kaufman at Fallingwater?

[bell chimes, time expires] The architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

NASA's Perseverance rover discovered evidence of ancient microbial life on which planet?

Miller, Ronan: Mars -That's right.

Next question.

Mauna Kea, the world's largest volcano above sea level, is located on which Island?

Miller, Ronan: Hawaii -Was that too late, or was that correct?

[confers with judges] That was okay.

Okay, points for you.

We continue.

Ronald Reagan commanded Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down" what in a speech-- Rogich, Zachary: the Berlin Wall -That is right.

Name this river that flows through the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon.

Rogich, Zachary: the Colorado River -That is correct.

Hey, in what effect, first observed by Heinrich Hertz, does a photon with energy greater than the work function cause a metal surface to eject an electron?

Rogich, Zachary: radiation -Incorrect.

Miller, Ronan: light -No.

We were looking for the photoelectric effect.

We move on.

Which toy's screen is entirely covered on the inside with aluminum powder and tiny little beads held together with a static charge?

Lines-- We'll go with Miller, Ronan: Etch A Sketch -That's right.

Love Etch A Sketch.

Next question.

In 2024, several judicial reforms were supported by what country's former president, Andrés Manuel López Obrado?

Rogich, Zachary: Venezuela -Incorrect.

Miller, Ronan: Spain -No.

It's Mexico.

Next question.

This animal's bright pink color comes from beta-carotene-- Miller, Genesis: flamingo -That's right.

What molecule may be produced through uncoupling in brown adipose tissue and is produced in the process of cellular respiration?

Miller, Liam: carbon dioxide -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] We were looking for ATP, adenosine triphosphate.

Next question.

All new baseballs used in Major League Baseball are first rubbed with what substance to remove gloss that makes it easier to handle-- We'll go with Miller, Genesis: mud -Yeah.

How about that?

Next question.

Name the home country of the character Borat, a landlocked-- Rogich, Zachary: Kazakhstan -That's right.

Before being reformed, this system included an intermittent period called Mercedonius.

Name this system of keeping dates, including 365 days-- Rogich, Zachary: callender -I don't know if we can accept that.

[confers with judges] We need more.

-Julian Callender?

-Yes.

All right, we move on.

Name this oldest court card that's worth 13 points in solitaire that immediately outranks the queen.

Miller, Noble: king -Yes.

You surprised yourself.

-Yeah.

-Next question.

Which rival of Tezcatlipoca is a feathered serpent from Aztec mythology?

[bell chimes, time expires] Time.

We were looking for Quetzalcoatl.

Gesundheit.

Gorm the Elder and Harold Bluetooth created the Jelling stones in a depiction of these people.

Longships were used by what seafaring-- Miller, Genesis: Vikings -That's right.

Hey, here's a calculation question.

Answer the following about card games and probability: If you choose a random card from a standard deck of 52 cards, what's the probability that it's either a face card or a spade?

I'll repeat.

The following about card games and probability: You choose a random card, standard deck of 52 cards, what's the probability that it's either a face card or a spade?

[bell chimes, time expires] Oh, you can hear the brains working.

We were looking for 11 in 26.

All right.

Name this first undisputed queen of England who was given the epithet "Bloody."

Rogich, Zachary: Queen Mary -Can we take that?

[confers with judges] Okay.

Very good.

Next question.

Leon Trotsky was assassinated for his interpretation of this earlier leader's political philosophy-- Rogich, Zachary: Lenin -That is correct.

And that is the end of Round 1.

Let's give these students a round of applause.

[applause] But don't go anywhere.

We're going to take a minute or two to get to know our players a bit more.

We'll start over here with Miller and 8th grader Genesis.

Hey, Genesis.

-Hi.

-How's it going?

-Good.

-This says here that you speak a foreign language.

What is that?

-I speak Filipino, or Tagalog.

-And how did you learn that?

-From my parents.

-So were you born in the US?

-Yeah.

-Okay.

But they still speak... -Yes.

-Awesome.

Good for you.

Keep that up, and good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Genesis.

Here's 7th grader, Ronan.

Hey, Ronan.

-Hello.

-This says one of your hobbies is bike riding.

Is that in town or is it mountain biking or what?

-I do both.

-Okay.

You like one better than the other?

-Mountain biking, definitely.

-Excellent.

Well, good luck with that.

Good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Ronan.

Here's 8th grader Liam.

Hi, Liam.

-Hi.

-This says you do something called "stop motion."

Is that the animation that I'm thinking of?

-Yeah.

It's a new hobby of mine, actually.

I'm trying to get into it.

It's really fun.

-All right.

Well, good luck with that.

-Thank you.

Good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks.

Here's 7th grader Noble.

Hey, Noble.

-Hey.

-Good to see you.

This says that you play basketball.

Is that for the school team or just for fun?

-Just for fun, mostly.

-Okay.

Do you have a favorite position or you just like to shoot hoops?

-I like to shoot.

-Right on.

Good luck with that, and good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Ladies and gentlemen, Miller Middle School.

[applause] All right.

Let's meet our players from Rogich.

We'll start with 7th grader Zachary.

Hi, Zachary.

-Hi.

-This says you like to ski.

-Oh, yeah.

-Do you have a favorite ski area?

-I like going skiing-- I go skiing in like Brian Head.

-Oh, okay.

-It's in Utah.

It's fun.

-Are you a skier or a snowboarder?

-Skier.

-Okay, me too.

Good luck with that.

Good luck here at Varsity Quiz.

And here's 8th grader Cindy.

Hi, Cindy.

-Hello.

-Says you play a musical instrument.

What is that?

-Piano.

-And how long you been doing that?

-About eight years.

-Is it just for fun, or are you play in the school groups?

-Just for fun, but I want to have a career for it.

-Wonderful.

Good luck with that and on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Cindy.

Here's 7th grader Vincent.

Hi, Vincent.

-Hello.

-This says that you like to watch sports.

But Vincent, there's a lot of sports to watch.

Do you have a favorite one?

-My favorite sport to watch is football.

-NFL football?

-Yeah, NFL football.

-You got a team?

-Go Raiders.

-Okay.

Well, that's the hometown team.

Good luck with that.

They got a new QB.

We'll see how it goes.

All right.

And here's 8th grader Mia.

Hi, Mia.

-Hi.

-Nice to see you.

This says that you have been doing community theater for quite a while.

-Yeah.

I've been acting since I was eight, but I just joined a different community theater.

It's pretty awesome.

-Do you have a show coming up anytime soon?

-We're doing our ensemble showcase, which is the first and second weekend of May.

-Okay.

Well, good luck with that, and good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Ladies and gentlemen, our students from Rogich!

[applause] And our bonus round, coming right up.

[crashing sound] And the score at the end of Round 1: Miller has 40 points to Rogich's 35.

Now, if you were scoring at home, we did have an adjustment from the question about Queen Mary that that is going to be counted as an incorrect answer.

So that's why that's the score that we have.

Oh, hey, before we get going, we have a new player for Miller Middle School, and we say hello to Keshavi.

Hi, Keshavi.

Good to see you.

And there's one new player for Rogich as well.

It's Landon.

Hi, Landon.

Nice to have you here.

All right.

Let's keep playing Varsity Quiz.

This round is timed, by the way, at six minutes, which begins as I read this question: Several active volcanos and Bolivia are located in what South American mountain range?

Rogich, Zachary: the Andes -That is correct.

So we have bonus geography questions now for Rogich only.

First, this state's city, Provo, has a $50 fine for throwing a snowball.

Second, often called one of the seven natural wonders of the world, this largest coral reef is located off the coast of Queensland.

It's a major tourist attraction.

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] -Our first answer is Utah.

Our second answer is the Great Barrier Reef.

-Both are correct.

You got bonus points.

Now this toss-up question for both teams: Which Broadway musical is set in both the uptown and downtown parts of New York City, features the songs "Tonight," "America," and "Somewhere"?

That's Miller, Liam: Newsies -Incorrect.

Rogich, Zachary: Uptown Heights -No.

We were looking for West Side Story.

Hope you get a chance to check that out.

No points.

Next toss-up question for both teams is a calculation question.

Answer the following about the number 413: What is the largest integer that is less than the cube root of 413?

I'll repeat.

This question is about the number 413.

What's the largest integer that's less than the cube root of 413?

[bell chimes, time expires] Time.

We were looking for 7.

No points.

Next tossup for both teams.

This god's signature weapon requires two gauntlets due to an overly short handle-- We'll go with Miller, Ronan: Thor -That is correct.

Bonus mythology questions now for Miller only.

First, Medusa and Meleager were the only shades to not flee from this mythological figure who travels into the underworld to complete his task of capturing Cerberus.

Second, according to a Chinese folktale, the order of this system is decided by a race.

The rat betrays the cat at the last minute in the race, and that explains why the rat is the first in this system.

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain.

-For the first one, we have Hercules; and for the second one, we have the Chinese zodiac.

-I think we can take that.

[confers with judges] Both are correct.

You got bonus points.

Now this tossup for both teams: A small terrier named Francis survived several days without food and water after this type of natural disaster that struck San Francisco-- And that's Miller, Genesis: earthquake -That's right.

So now we have bonus questions about earthquakes for Miller Middle School only.

First, what scale is commonly used to measure earthquake magnitude?

Second, what's the name of the major fault line that runs through California?

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain.

-For the first one, we have the Richter scale; and for the second one, we have San Andreas Fault.

-Both are correct.

You got bonus points.

Now this tossup for both teams: Emery's rule explains the "social" variety of what behavior between closely related species where one organism is harmed at the benefit of another?

Rogich, Cindy: survival -Incorrect.

[buzzer sound] [bell chimes] -Before or after?

[confers with judges] Okay.

Miller, Liam: predator -No.

We were looking for parasitism.

No points.

Next question for both teams: Who are the two warring families in the play Romeo and Juliet?

Rogich, Cindy: Montague and Capulet -That's right.

Bonus literature questions now for Rogich only.

First, the Reds are commoners ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers in what 2015 novel?

Second, which novel by Wilson Rawls is about a boy who buys and trains two Redbone hounds for hunting.

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain.

-Our first answer is no, I don't know.

-Okay.

And same for both?

-Yeah.

-Okay.

We were looking for Red Queen and Where the Red Fern Grows.

You got the original points for the question, but not points for the bonus questions.

Next tossup for both teams: Complete the following titles with a word that means a common, distinctive phenomenon of sleep.

It's a baseball movie starring Kevin Costner called Field of [blank].

We'll go with Miller, Ronan: Dreams -That's right.

We have bonus questions about dreams now for Miller only.

First, which stage of sleep is most associated with vivid dreaming?

Second, which ancient pyramid building civilization believed that dreams were messages from the gods?

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain.

-For the first one, we have REM sleep; and for the second one, we have the ancient Egyptians.

-Both are correct.

You've got bonus points, and that timer means we're done with the second round.

But don't go anywhere.

Speed round coming up.

The score at the end of Round 2: Miller, 85; Rogich, 55.

So in this speed round, we have 30 questions, each of which is also worth 5 points.

This is a timed round at six minutes.

So if we get to all 30 questions before the six minutes is up, obviously the round would be over.

If we don't get to all 30 questions when the timer goes off, we're done either way.

All right.

Let's go.

What part of the cell stores genetic information?

That's Miller, Liam: the DNA -That's incorrect.

Rogich, Zachary: nucleus -That is correct.

Next question.

The Permanent Fund Dividend is funded by oil revenues in what state and former Russian colony-- Rogich, Zachary: Alaska -That's right.

In the original story, this title character does not marry the prince.

She turns into sea foam.

Miller, Ashley: The Little Mermaid -That's right.

A little bit louder next time, Ashley.

We got you.

Calculation question, and we don't repeat those here in the third round, so listen up.

What's the volume of a pyramid whose base is a rectangle with side lengths of 3 and 5, and whose height is 12?

[buzzer sound] [bell chimes] Got in just before the buzzer.

It's Genesis from Miller: 60 -Pardon me?

-60.

-And do we need more?

[confers with judges] -Square-- -Pardon me?

-I don't know.

-No.

It's-- so the buzzer went off.

We needed 60 cubic units.

So no points.

Next question.

What prehistoric monument found in England consists of huge-- And that's Rogich, Zachary: Stonehenge -That's right.

Which structures can be formed by chaperonins and are formed through peptide bonds?

Miller, Liam: DNA -No.

Rogich, Cindy: RNA -No.

We're looking for proteins.

No points.

Next question.

The bronze statue called Charging Bull is associated with what Street in Manhattan?

Miller, Liam: Wall Street -That's right.

Which ruler freed Judah from the Babylonian captivity, was succeeded by Cambyses, and founded the Achaemenid Persian Empire?

And that's Rogich, Zachary: Cyrus the Great -Yes.

Next question.

What former British Pacific colony is home to the Maori people?

Rogich, Zachary: New Zealand -That's right.

Name the process of heating crushed ores to a high temperature-- And that's Miller, Ronan: smelting -Yes.

Name the second First Lady of the United States.

Rogich, Zachary: Adams -Can we take that?

[confers with judges] We need more.

-Maria Adams.

-No.

Miller, Ronan: Samantha Adams -It was Abigail Adams.

No points.

Next question.

What Hormel Foods product gets its name from a contraction of "spiced ham," also shares a name-- That's Miller, Genesis: balogna -No.

That's an interruption.

--shares its name with unwanted emails?

Rogich, Zachary: Spam -There you go.

Next question.

The "meeting of the waters" is created by this river and the Rio Negro near Manaus.

What river names the world's largest-- Miller, Liam: the Amazon River -Correct.

The highest vaccine exemption rate in the United States is in what Mountain West state that's led from Boise?

Rogich, Vincent: Idaho -Correct.

What NFL team, whose quarterback is Tua Tagovailoa-- Rogich, Vincent: the Miami Dolphins -That's right.

What two US governmental positions can only be filled by natural-born citizens?

Miller, Ashley: President and Vice President -Yep.

A little louder next time.

Shout it out.

Who instructed Robert Newman to hang lanterns in the Old North Church and light "one, if by land; two, if by sea"?

Rogich, Zachary: Samuel Adams -Incorrect.

Miller, Ashley: Paul Revere -That's right.

This state's Upper Peninsula borders-- And that's Rogich, Vincent: Michigan -Yes.

Which creature has a tongue so long it can wrap around its body and reach its-- Rogich, Mia: anteater -Incorrect.

--and reach its own eyes?

That's an interruption.

Miller, Liam: a chameleon -That's correct.

What government agency was in Florida to respond to Hurricanes Milton and Helene?

Miller, Liam: Red Cross -Incorrect.

Rogich, Zachary: National Meteorology Association -No.

We're talking about FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Next, a calculation question.

Again, we don't repeat, so listen up.

What's the smallest integer n for which a circle with a radius of n has an area over 100 square units?

[bell chimes, time expires] Time.

We were looking for 6.

Next question.

This person was assassinated in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles by Sirhan Sirhan.

Name this former attorney-- Rogich, Vincent: Robert Kennedy -Yes.

Maurizio Cattelan's 2019 artwork The Comedian consists of curved yellow fruit duct taped to a wall.

Rogich, Zachary: banana -That's right.

This man wrote about being held in a World War I detention camp in the work The Enormous Room.

What author's poem "anyone lived in a pretty how town" exemplifies his unconventional punctuation and capitalization?

Rogich, Cindy: Elliot -No.

And that's time.

We were looking for E.E.

Cummings.

You should look up that guy.

The poetry is amazing.

All right.

Let's find out who won.

[crashing sound] Final score: Miller Middle School, 115 points; Rogich, 105 points.

Congratulations to both teams for an excellent match.

[cheers and applause] So we want to present a 2nd Place plaque to the captain and the coach of Rogich for the Junior Varsity Quiz Blue League.

Congratulations, you guys!

[applause] And it is a little bit bigger plaque, the Champion of the Junior Varsity Quiz Blue League goes to the captain and one of the coaches from Miller Middle School!

Give him a round of applause.

Congratulations.

[cheers and applause] Okay, but we have a lot more Junior Varsity Quiz.

We want you to join us next week, because we are going to be celebrating the success of the JVQ Virtual League finalists.

It's going to be Garrett Junior High School and Lied Middle School playing for the title JVQ Virtual League champion.

Join us next week right here on Vegas PBS.