♪♪ -Students from Park View... ♪♪ ...Springbrook... ♪♪ ...and Montgomery Blair meet today on "It's Academic".

♪♪ Hello, everybody.

I'm Hillary Howard and welcome to "It's Academic", produced by Altman Productions in association with David M. Rubenstein Productions.

-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.

-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.

♪♪ MITRE -- "Solving problems for a safer world".

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

We begin with Park View High School in Loudoun County, Virginia.

Colin, Zachary, Jasper, welcome to "It's Academic", guys.

Hi.

-Hello.

It's great to be here.

-From Springbrook in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Hunter, Ruth, Yoseph, great to have you guys here today.

-Thank you.

-Thank you for having us.

-Thanks.

And finally from Montgomery Blair in Montgomery County, Ace, Gus, Jacen, good to see you.

-Good to see you, too.

-Good to see you, too.

-Thanks for having us.

-Thanks for being here.

All right.

Now we can do this opening round where questions are worth 20 points.

Nothing off for a wrong answer.

Let's go, Park View.

Here is your first question, Colin, Zachary, and Jasper.

Mackerel is bony.

Be careful, and you can find in this phrase the name of what capital city of Portugal?

Answer?

In three, two, one.

The answer is Lisbon.

If you needed two synonyms for the word "beg", which two of these would you choose?

-Beseech and implore.

-Yes, beseech and implore is right.

Fill in the blanks here, and you'll name what scientific instrument that Torricelli invented to measure air pressure?

-Barometer.

-Yep, that's it.

Barometer.

Nellie Tayloe Ross, Susan B. Anthony, Sonia Sotomayor -- which of these women was elected governor of Wyoming in 1925 and later became the first female director of the U.S. Mint?

Need an answer.

-Nellie Tayloe Ross.

-Yeah, you've got it.

"An act of justice" -- you'll find this phrase in what historic proclamation that Abraham Lincoln issued on January 1st, 1863?

-The Gettysburg Address?

-No, it's the Emancipation Proclamation.

Park View High School.

You've got 160 points.

All right.

Team two, your turn to play.

Springbrook High School, Hunter, Ruth, Yoseph, here's your first question.

Xanadu blinded me.

Don't let yourself get blinded before you find in this sentence the name of what largest city in Ireland?

-Dublin.

-Yes.

Which of these two words are synonyms?

-Conferring any ideas?

-I would think transitory and fleeting.

-Yeah, I agree.

-Sounds good.

Final answer, transitory and fleeting.

-I agree with that one.

You're right.

You won't need magic if you fill in the blanks with the Roman numerals for 51 to spell the name of what chief sorcerer at King Arthur's Court?

-Merlin.

-Merlin.

-Yes.

Kilimanjaro, Suribachi, Nebo.

In the famous World War II photograph of our flag being raised on Iwo Jima, the event was taking place on which of these mountains?

-Conferring it's not Kilimanjaro.

-Suribachi?

-That's what I would have gone with.

-Yeah, I agree.

-Final answer, Suribachi.

-Glad you got there.

"It removeth the obstructions of the spleen."

This medical advice came from a 17th century advertisement for what beverage that Americans later tossed into Boston Harbor?

-Conferring tea.

-Conferring tea.

-Yeah.

-Tea, final answer.

-Tea is it.

Springbrook High School, nicely done.

200 points.

Okay, Montgomery Blair, you are up.

Ace, Gus, Jacen, let's do this.

Arthur also wins.

You'll be a winner if you find here the name of what Russian mountain range that separates Europe from Asia?

-The Urals.

-Conferring Urals.

-Urals, okay.

Our answer is Urals.

-Yes.

-Which two of these words are antonyms?

-Conferring, belittle and praise.

-It's belittle and praise.

-Yep.

-Our answer is belittle and praise.

-It is belittle and praise.

Here you see the name of a French city.

By filling in the blanks, you can name what capital city of West Virginia?

-Conferring Charleston?

-Charleston.

-Yeah.

-Okay.

Our answer is Charleston.

-Yes, it is.

Blackbeard, Jean LaFitte, Captain Kidd -- which of these pirates took time off from piracy to help Americans in the 1850 Battle of New Orleans?

-Jean LaFitte.

-Jean LaFitte.

-Jean LaFitte?

Okay.

-Our answer is Jean LaFitte.

-Correct.

-"We all live with the object of being happy."

These words come from the World War II diary of what a young Jewish girl whose life was cut short by the Nazis?

-Anne Frank.

-Conferring Anne Frank.

-Conferring Anne Frank, yeah, okay.

Our answer's Anne Frank.

-It was Anne Frank.

Well done, Montgomery Blair.

200 points.

And that's the end of the opening round.

The Picture Perfect Round is 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.

♪♪ -We've reached the Picture Perfect Round.

In this round, as you undoubtedly know, answers are worth 20 points up or down, 10 points off if you choose to pass.

You are up first, Park View High School.

Colin, Zachary, Jasper, here we go.

This variety of butterfly is named for what Greek god of light and music, a deity sometimes called Phoebus?

-Any of you guys know?

-I'm thinking Apollo.

-You got it right.

Yes, it's Apollo.

Nice.

Cerebrum, medulla, hypothalamus.

The rate of heartbeat is controlled by which of these?

-Is it the cerebrum?

You guys know?

-Answer?

Is that your answer?

-Final answer, cerebrum.

-Nope.

The answer is medulla.

These flowers now grow on the lower slopes of Mount St. Helens, a still active volcano in what West Coast state?

-Conferring Washington?

-No, it's, um... -Yeah.

-Answer is?

Washington?

-Washington.

-You got it right.

Washington.

Nice job, Park View.

You've got 180 points.

Springbrook, it's now your chance to play the Picture Perfect Round.

Here's the first clue.

This is England's Lord Amherst, who in the French and Indian War captured what "T"-initialed fort in upstate New York?

-Conferring.

-You guys have any idea?

-Need an answer.

-Should we just pass?

-The answer is... -Sure.

-Pass.

-...Fort Ticonderoga.

Fort Ticonderoga.

Blue, red, yellow.

If table salt is heated in a flame, it will turn which of these colors?

-Conferring.

-Conferring.

-Blue?

-That's what I would've said.

-Final answer, blue.

-No, it's yellow.

The title of this painting by Childe Hassam identifies what flower?

One whose varieties can produce opium.

-Poppy.

-Poppy is right.

All right, Springbrook, you've got 190 points.

Now for team three from Montgomery Blair High School.

Guys, here's the first picture.

This painting depicts what patron saint of England in the act of slaying a dragon?

-Conferring George.

-Conferring Thomas.

Oh, George?

Okay.

Our answer is George.

-That's it.

Choice.

The headless chicken monster, which is the official name for this creature, belongs to what phylum that includes starfish?

Is it echinoderms, conifers, or arthropods?

-It's the first one.

-Conferring echinoderm.

Yeah, the first one, okay.

Our answer is the first one.

-Correct.

It's echinoderms.

This vase pictures Typhon, a monster whose imprisonment under Mount Etna supposedly caused volcanic eruptions on what largest Italian island?

-Conferring Sicily.

-Conferring Sicily.

-Yeah, Sicily.

-Are they counting Sardinia?

-No, okay, just say the answer is Sicily.

-Yeah, Sicily is right.

Nicely done, Montgomery Blair.

260 points.

Picture perfect Round is finished, and the Packet Round is next.

♪♪ -Hello, I'm David Rubenstein.

Did you know that after President Garfield was shot, Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, created a small metal detector to help doctors locate the bullet in Garfield's body?

Unfortunately, the doctors insisted Bell search only the president's right side instead of the left side, where the bullet actually was.

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

♪♪ -It's halftime here on "It's Academic", which means the Packet Round.

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

Nothing off for a wrong answer.

And if you get every answer right, you know it, 25-point bonus.

Team one from Park View is up.

Colin, Zachary, Jasper, before we begin, we would love to learn a little more about you.

So let's start with you, Colin.

What can you tell us about yourself?

-I'm the captain of the academic team.

I'm also on the varsity tennis team, the chess club, and forensics.

-Wow.

So tell me what that entails.

-You get seven minutes to write and present a speech based on a topic.

They'll give you a choice of three topics, and you pick whichever one you think you can make the best speech based off of.

-Cool.

That's a wonderful, great skill to have, by the way.

And Zachary, what should we know about you?

-I'm on the Odyssey of the Mind team for Park View.

-That's a really big project to be a part of.

You enjoy it?

-Yes.

-Wonderful.

Well, it's great to have you here, Zachary.

And Jasper, what are you up to these days?

-I'm also on the Odyssey of the Mind team.

I also love reading, and I am in chess club, too.

-Beautiful.

Do you have a favorite book?

-Probably the "Legend" series by Marie Lu.

-All right.

Well, that's awesome.

Park View, here is your first question.

Every modern writer of horror stories owes a debt of gratitude to Bram Stoker, who created what vampire from Transylvania?

-Count Dracula.

-Count Dracula.

-Final answer Count Dracula.

-Yes.

In 1766, a so-called butter rebellion spread through the halls of what Ivy League University in Cambridge, Massachusetts?

-Conferring.

Is it MIT?

-It might be Harvard.

-Yeah, I think you're right.

-Could be, yeah.

-Your answer is?

-Final answer Harvard.

-Yes.

Very good.

Here's your science question.

Centriole, carotenoid, carpel -- which of these is a structure that plays a role in meiosis and mitosis?

-Conferring centriole.

-Okay.

-Yeah, go for it.

-It is -- -Final answer centriole.

-Very good.

In 1534, explorer Jacques Cartier discovered what important Canadian river that now names a seaway between the U.S. and Canada?

Answer?

I've seen beluga whales in it -- the St. Lawrence Seaway.

"The pinnacle of Latin literature" is the way one expert referred to "The Aeneid" by what ancient Roman author?

Answer is?

-Socrates or something like that?

-It is... ...Virgil.

Here's your math question.

Solve for y.

-Conferring.

Should be nine, right?

-Yeah, nine.

-Nine.

-Final answer nine.

-Nine it is.

Sometimes called the Napoleon of the West, what Mexican general destroyed the Alamo in 1836 when Texas was fighting for its independence?

Answer?

In three, two, one.

The answer is Santa Anna.

Park View High School, you've got 260 points.

Time to meet team two from Springbrook High School.

Hunter is the captain.

Hey, Hunter, what should we know about you?

-I'm a senior at Springbrook High School.

And in addition to this club, I co-captain mock trial and debate, and I'm also the captain of the school swim team.

-Awesome.

Do you want to be an attorney?

-Yes, very much.

-Oh, well, that'll definitely help you.

I bet you're good at it.

Great to have you here, Hunter.

Hey, Ruth, what are you doing in and out of school?

-I'm an IB Diploma candidate at Springbrook High School, I love the great outdoors, and I'm also trilingual.

-What languages do you speak?

-English, of course, but English is my second language.

Amharic is my first language, and I am fluent in Spanish.

-Beautiful.

Can you say something in your native language?

I'd love to hear it.

-[ Speaking Amharic ] -Which means?

-Hi.

How are you?

-Very well, thank you.

Finally, Yoseph, tell us about yourself.

-In my spare time, I play baseball and golf at Springbrook.

But I also co-captain debate and mock trial, as well.

-Oh, do you like it?

-I do, I do.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Are you aggressive?

-Sometimes.

-[ Laughs ] Very good.

Let's see how aggressive you are answering these questions in the Packet Round.

Here's the first one.

The inner framework of the Statue of Liberty was designed by what same Frenchman who designed and named the most famous tower in Paris?

-Conferring Eiffel.

-Conferring Eiffel.

-Correct.

-Final answer Eiffel.

-Yes.

In Number 17 of the Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton described what medieval economic system that involved vassals and serfs?

-Feudalism.

-Conferring.

Final answer Feudalism.

-Yep.

Here's your science question.

Extrusive bone, exoskeleton, extracellular binding -- which of these terms refers to the hardened external frame of insects, spiders and, crabs?

-Conferring exoskeleton.

-Conferring exoskeleton.

-Exoskeleton.

-Yeah.

-Okay.

Final answer, exoskeleton.

-Yeah.

When Shakespeare referred to the sun as a traveling lamp, he contradicted the heliocentric theories of what 16th century Polish astronomer?

-Conferring.

Any ideas?

-The answer is Copernicus.

One of the places adversely affected by global warming is what Massachusetts pond associated with Thoreau?

-Conferring... -Answer?

-What did you say, Ruth?

-Cape Cod?

-The answer is Walden Pond.

-Cape Cod?

-Nah.

Here's your math question.

Are angles A and B supplementary, equal, or complementary?

-Complementary.

-Conferring.

I think it's complementary.

-Yeah, complementary.

-Complementary.

-Final answer, complementary.

-The answer is supplementary.

Though he fought the American colonists in all directions, George III's prime minister had what one direction in his last name?

-Conferring.

Would it be, like, north, south, east, west?

So... -Answer, please.

-West?

-No, it's North, Lord Frederick North.

Springbrook High School, you've got 250 points.

Now to team three from Montgomery Blair High School.

We begin with the captain, Ace.

Hello, Ace.

What should we know about you?

-I'm very interested in computer science and what's inside quantum computing.

-For those of us who are not initiated in that, tell us something understandable about what it is that you love.

-Quantum computing is basically a field of computer science where they apply the principles of quantum physics to computer science problems.

-That is very, very cool.

I love that.

Thanks so much, Ace.

Good to have you.

Gus, tell us about yourself.

-I play soccer, and I would like to thank Ms. Parton, Mr. Schaefer, Mr. Hammond, and all of our teammates, especially our alternate, Henry, for their support.

-Awesome.

Well, it's really great to have you here, Gus.

And finally, Jacen.

Hi.

-I really like history, so I just like all the stories, and, like, sometimes the truth is even more interesting than fiction.

-A lot of the time.

It's great to have you here, Jacen, really appreciate that.

All right.

Let's ask some questions in this Packet Round.

Here we go.

An Englishman in 1666 might have cursed the mythical Prometheus, because he gave mankind what powerful gift that was then destroying London?

-Conferring fire.

-Fire.

-Conferring fire.

-Our answer is fire.

-Yes.

With a lifespan of 400 years, the longest lived vertebrate is a kind of shark named for what largest island in the world?

-Conferring -- -Greenland.

-Greenland?

-Greenland?

That makes sense.

-Our answer is Greenland.

-Yeah, Greenland is right.

Here's your science question.

Halogens, lanthanide series, transuranic elements -- which of these terms refers to radioactive elements with atomic numbers greater than 92?

-It's transuranic.

-Transuranic.

-Yeah, transuranic.

-Okay.

Our answer is the third one.

-Correct.

One reason railroad construction made progress in the 1860s was the use of what new blasting material invented by Alfred Nobel?

-Conferring dynamite?

-Conferring dynamite.

-Conferring dynamite.

-Yeah, all right.

Our answer's dynamite.

-Yep.

When first published, the novel, "Moby-Dick", was a commercial failure, and it was out of print in 1891 when the man who'd written it died.

Who was he?

-It's Herman Melville.

-Conferring Melville.

-Melville.

-Yeah.

All right, our answer is Melville.

-Yes.

Here's your math question.

Which of these is a composite number?

-It's 39.

-Conferring 39?

Yeah.

-Three times 13.

-Our answer is 39.

-Yeah.

John Randolph, a peace-loving 19th century congressman, asked to be buried facing West so he could keep an eye on what Senator -- the War Hawk leader from Kentucky?

-Conferring.

Do you guys know this?

[ Indistinct chatter ] -Davy Crockett?

-Crockett?

Okay.

-Yeah, let's go with -- -Our answer's Crockett.

-Nah, it was Henry Clay.

But, Blair, you did a great job.

380 points.

Let's see if lightning strikes next.

We've got the Lightning Round.

♪♪ We are turning the temperature up now as the clock ticks down.

It's 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.

Team one, Park View High School.

Here we go.

All questions in this round have to do with birds and things related to birds.

In three, two, one.

This is the smallest bird.

-Hummingbird.

-Yes.

This long-legged bird supposedly delivers human babies.

-Stork.

-Yes.

"The Wild Duck" is by this Norwegian playwright.

-Pass.

-Ibsen.

This yellow songbird shares its name with islands in the Atlantic.

-Pass.

-Canary.

This wise bird was sacred to the goddess Athena.

-Owl.

-Yeah.

This bird is the mascot of the Air Force.

-Pass.

-Falcon.

This bird is the symbol of New Zealand.

-A kiwi.

-Yeah.

He wrote "A Feast for Crows" in his "A Song of Ice and Fire" series.

[ Buzzer sounds ] -George R.R.

Martin.

-Yeah, but it was after the buzzer.

Nice job, Park View.

340 points.

Team two, you're up.

Springbrook High School, let's have some fun here.

All questions have to do with birds and things related to birds.

In three, two, one.

Traditionally, this bird symbolizes peace.

-Dove.

-Yes.

This cartoon bird's adversary is Wile E. Coyote.

-Pass.

-Roadrunner.

He wrote "The Pelican Brief" and "The Firm".

-Grisham.

-Yes.

There is an emperor species of this flightless Antarctic bird.

-Penguin.

-Yeah.

This colorful bird is sacred to the goddess Juno.

-Peacock.

-Yes.

This legendary bird arose from its own ashes.

-Phoenix.

-Yeah.

This red bird names a high Catholic Church official.

-Cardinal.

-Yeah.

This bird is calling in a J.K. Rowling crime novel.

-Pass.

-Cuckoo.

The first Supreme Court Chief -- [ Buzzer sounds ] And that's the buzzer.

The question was the first Supreme Court Chief Justice shared his name with this bird.

The answer is John Jay.

All right, Springbrook.

You've got 370 points.

Okay, Blair, let's play the Lightning Round.

All answers here have to do with birds and things linked to birds.

In three, two, one.

"The eagle has landed," said this first man to walk on the moon.

-Neil Armstrong.

-Yes.

The Major League Baseball team in Baltimore is named for this bird.

-Orioles.

-Yes.

The Ancient Mariner shot this bird.

-Albatross.

-Yes.

This is the largest bird.

-Ostrich.

-Yes.

The ivory-billed species of this bird is critically endangered.

-Pass.

-Woodpecker.

-"The Seagull" is by this author of "The Cherry Orchard".

-Chekhov.

-Yes.

The passenger variety of this North American bird is now extinct.

-Pigeon.

-Yes.

Benjamin Franklin thought this should be our national bird.

-Turkey.

-Yeah.

-In a fairy tale, this bird was once an ugly duckling.

[ Buzzer sounds ] And yes, of course, you know, the answer is swan.

Blair, you did a great job.

520 points.

And that is the game.

The official scores are next.

-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.

-Hello, my name is Daniel Connor, and I am a 16-year-old junior at South Lakes High School.

I help tutor kids in math, and I honestly loved doing this so much.

I help them review subjects they may not understand.

I help go over their tests or just any other needs that they may have.

And it's such a magical thing to see them, like, improve so much and, like, understand these concepts that they previously didn't understand.

I see them getting better scores.

It makes me just so happy, because I just love seeing people get into these much more academic fields and just kind of love learning much more.

-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.

♪♪ -And the scores are now official.

First, congratulations to Park View High School, Colin, Zachary, and Jasper.

340 points.

From Springbrook High School in Montgomery County, Hunter, Ruth, Yoseph.

370 points.

And coming back for the playoffs, Montgomery Blair High School, Ace, August, and Jacen.

520 points.

Amazing job.

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

So happy you could join us today and match wits with some of these impressive students.

-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.

-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".

-Please join us next time when Paul VI, Robinson, and Westfield high schools compete on "It's Academic".

I'm Hillary Howard.

See you then.

Bye, guys.

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

♪♪