>> THIS PROGRAM IS PART OF AMERICAN GRADUATE, LET'S MAKE IT
HAPPEN.
A PUBLIC MEDIA INITIATIVE MADE POSSIBLE BY THE CORPORATION FOR
PUBLIC BROADCASTING.
>> EMMA PRICE, NICK EDWARDS AND PATRICK MORRISON HEAD INTO THE
MEDIA CLASS AT HOLYOKE HIGH SCHOOL.
IT WOULD NOT BE AN EXAGGERATION TO SAY THAT THEY ARE AMONG THE
BEST AND BRIGHTEST AROUND.
THEIR GPAs ARE ALL AROUND AND ABOVE A 4.0.
BUT LEAVE IT TO THEIR BUDDIES TO KEEP THEM HUMBLE AS WE TRIED TO
GET SOME FOOTAGE OF THEM.
>> WE NEED TO GET SHOTS OF HIM LOOKING REALLY SMART.
>> GOOD LUCK.
>> ADD BRENDAN KELLY, OR "BK"...
>> TWO THOUSAND, SEVEN HUNDRED, AND 50 DOLLARS?
>> YES AND YOU HAVE A POWERFUL FOURSOME.
NICK, BK, EMMA AND PATRICK ARE ON HOLYOKE HIGH SCHOOL'S AS
SCHOOLS MATCH WITS TEAM.
IN ITS 54th SEASON, AS SCHOOLS MATCH WITS, WHICH AIRS ON WGBY,
IS THE SECOND-LONGEST-RUNNING QUIZ SHOW IN THE COUNTRY.
>> ACCORDING TO WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, KING LEAR HAD HOW
MANY DAUGHTERS?
>> HOLYOKE.
>> THREE.
>> THREE IS RIGHT.
THAT MARKS THE END OF OUR LAST LIGHTNING ROUND.
HOLYOKE, YOU MOVE ON.
GOOD JOB TO YOU, DEEP BREATH IN.
>> FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE SCHOOL'S HISTORY, THEY ARE
HEADING TO THE FINAL ROUND.
>> WE'VE GOTTEN FAR BEFORE, AND HOLYOKE HAS HAD SOME GREAT
PERFORMANCES BEFORE, BUT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING LIKE THIS.
>> THE FACT THAT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME HOLYOKE HIGH SCHOOL
HAS EVER BEEN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND TAKES ON
SPECIAL MEANING THIS YEAR, GIVEN THE STATE'S TAKEOVER OF THE
SCHOOL SYSTEM, AND THE STIGMA ATTACHED TO THAT.
>> AND I SAID TO THE KIDS WHEN WE FIRST STARTED THIS SEASON, I
SAID THE ONE THING THAT, IF YOU GUYS CAN PULL THIS OFF THIS
YEAR, YOU HAVE COME SO CLOSE IN YEARS PAST, IF YOU COULD PULL
THIS OFF, IT WOULD MEAN SO MUCH TO THIS CITY.
>> THIS SPRING, THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION PLACED HOLYOKE'S SCHOOL SYSTEM UNDER STATE RECEIVERSHIP
AND DESIGNATED THE SCHOOL SYSTEM A LEVEL FIVE, THE STATE'S LOWEST RATING.
ACCORDING TO THE MASS DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY
EDUCATION, THE GRADUATION RATE FOR HOLYOKE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN
2014 WAS 60.2%.
>> DOES IT FEEL ALMOST LIKE YOU KIND OF HAVE TO SUCCEED BECAUSE
OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT?
>> WELL, NO, BUT IT DEFINITELY WOULD FEEL GREAT.
I THINK THAT IT WOULD SHOW THAT, YOU KNOW, HOLYOKE KIDS CAN DO
THIS.
>>HOW MANY OPERAS DID BEETHOVEN DO...
OR SYMPHONIES?
>> AND WHILE YOU MAY THINK THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO STUDY NIGHT AND
DAY FOR THE GAME SHOW MATCHES ON TOP OF THEIR OTHER HOMEWORK,
THEY DON'T.
THEY MEET ONCE A WEEK.
AND HAVE FUN WITH IT.
>> DO YOU STAY UP LATE?
LOOKING AT HISTORY BOOKS AND SCOURING THE INTERNET FOR RANDOM
QUESTIONS?
>> SURPRISINGLY, NO.
>> YOU'RE JUST SMART.
>> I MEAN, EACH OF US HAS OUR OWN CATEGORY THAT WE ARE KIND
OF, YOU KNOW, THAT WE LIKE TO ANSWER.
>> ENDYMION, A BEAUTIFUL YOUTH IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY, WAS THE
SUBJECT OF A FAMOUS POEM BY WHAT BRITISH POET?
>> I DECIDED I WOULD TRY TO LEARN EVERY BOOK AND ITS AUTHOR, FOR THEM, TO HAVE
A SKILL, I GUESS.
>> HOLYOKE.
>> JOHN KEATS.
>> KIDS WHO, SOMETIMES DON'T FEEL THAT THEY'RE ALL THAT
SMART OR INTELLIGENT COMPARED TO THE OTHERS, IF THEY'RE GOOD AT
TRIVIA, THEY'RE GOOD AT THIS.
AND WE WELCOME ANYONE TO THE TEAM, ANYONE WHO SHOWS UP FOR
PRACTICES IS CONSIDERED ON THE TEAM.
>> 48 SCHOOLS BECAME EIGHT, AND NOW IT IS DOWN TO THE FINAL
MATCH OF THE SEASON.
>> AND THIS WILL BE PRETTY SPECIAL BECAUSE HOLYOKE FACES
LONGMEADOW HIGH SCHOOL, A TOUGH COMPETITIOR.
>> THEY'VE DONE VERY WELL ON AS SCHOOLS MATCH WITS.
THEY ACTUALLY WON, I BELIEVE, THE BOSTON SHOW A COUPLE YEARS AGO,
HIGH SCHOOL QUIZ SHOW.
SO THEY HAVE REALLY BEEN THERE AND BACK, SO IT'S GOING TO BE A
BATTLE.
>> IT CAN BE A PLACE OF REFUGE OR A STRATEGIC WITHDRAWAL.
>> LONGMEADOW.
>> RETREAT.
>> RETREAT IS CORRECT.
>> ABUNDANTLY SUPPLIED OR PROVIDED.
>> [BUZZER] >> REPLETE OR COMPLETE IS THE RIGHT ANSWER.
>> [BELL] >> AH, THAT MARKS THE END OF OUR LIGHTNING
ROUND...
>> WHEN IT WAS TIED, AND ALL THE KIDS ON BOTH TEAMS WERE TRYING
TO COME UP WITH WAYS THAT THEY COULD ALL WIN.
LIKE, "NOBODY ANSWER ANY MORE QUESTIONS, IT'LL STAY A TIE."
OR, "LET'S CUT THE TROPHY IN HALF."
>> FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 54 YEARS, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A TIEBREAKER
LIGHTNING ROUND.
>> ANY BUSINESS VENTURE OR PRODUCT THAT IS A DEPENDABLE SOURCE OF INCOME.
>> [BUZZER] >> CASH COW IS THE RIGHT ANSWER.
>> THE ONLY U.S. STATE CAPITAL THAT FITS THIS CATEGORY.
>> LONGMEADOW.
>> CARSON CITY.
>> CARSON CITY IS RIGHT.
OH!
>> I DON'T THINK ANY OF US EXPECTED FOR IT TO BE SO CLOSE.
>> IT CAME DOWN TO, LITERALLY, TWO OVERTIMES.
>> FORMER PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN DIED AT THE AGE OF 83.
>> LONGEADOW.
>> DURING.
>> DURING IS RIGHT.
>> THE TRIALS OF SADDAM HUSSEIN BEGIN.
>> HOLYOKE.
>> AFTER.
>> AFTER: 2005.
>> I COULDN'T WATCH, AND I WAS TRYING NOT TOO LISTEN,
BECAUSE IT WAS THAT INTENSE.
>> THAT IS INCORRECT.
THE LAST OLDSMOBILE CAR ROLLS OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINE.
>> HOLYOKE.
>> AFTER.
>> THE CORRECT ANSWER IS DURING.
>> THE SEPTEMBER 11TH TERRORIST ATTACKS TOOK PLACE.
>> LONGEADOW.
>> BEFORE.
>> BEFORE: 2001.
>> [BELL] >> OH, THAT MARKS THE END...
>> I THINK I GRABBED THE KNEE OF ONE OF OUR COACHES, AND I GRABBED IT SO HARD, HE SAYS,
"I CAN'T FEEL MY LEG."
>> WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IF WE WERE GOING TO MAKE IT THAT FAR, AND THEN TO HAVE IT COME
DOWN SO CLOSE.
>> THOSE TWO TEAMS, WHEN IT WAS OVER, THEY HAD SUCH A MUTUAL RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER,
AND IT WAS SO HEARTWARMING TO SEE THE CAMARADERIE.
>> WE HEAR SO OFTEN THAT THERE'S POCKETS OF EXCELLENCE IN HOLYOKE
SCHOOLS BUT, THIS ISN'T A POCKET OF EXCELLENCE.
WE AREN'T THESE 4 WIZ KIDS.
YOU CAN DO THIS WITH A HOLYOKE EDUCATION.
>> I DO A LOT OF THINGS WITH MUSIC WHERE I GET AUDITIONS AND THINGS,
BUT TO HAVE SUCH A GREAT GROUP OF FRIENDS, REALLY, ACCOMPLISH
SOMETHING TOGETHER, IS A VERY UNIQUE EXPERIENCE.
>> I'M GOING TO ASK YOU SOME QUESTIONS: HISTORY.
WHAT WAS D-DAY?
>> 1944, THE INVASION OF THE NORMANDY COAST...
[LAUGHTER] >> OKAY, HOT SHOT.
>> BY THE ALLIES, YEAH.