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

-Coming up next, it's Thurman White Middle School... [cheers and applause] -...taking on Bob Miller Middle School... [cheers and applause] -...for the Junior Varsity Quiz Championship!

[crashing sound] ♪♪♪ [cheers and applause] (Nate Tannenbaum) Hi, welcome.

This is the 54th season of Varsity Quiz , continuing now with the Junior Varsity Quiz Championship.

I'm honored to be your host, Nathan Tannenbaum.

So let's explain how we got here.

Back in February, there were 13 middle school and junior high school teams, had their own little virtual Junior Varsity Quiz League.

Back in March, there were 22 middle school and junior high school teams, competed in person in a one-day tournament over at the Veterans Tribute Academy.

Well here, Miller Middle School defeated Sylvestri to get to the championship, while Thurman White defeated the Lied STEM Academy.

Let's meet our players.

Starting with Thurman White, we say hello to Ava.

-Hi.

-There's Hannah.

Hi, Hannah.

-Hi.

-There's Aaron.

-Hi.

-And there's Leah.

-Ladies and gentlemen, Thurman White!

[cheers and applause] -And now Miller Middle School.

Let's meet the players.

There's Locke.

Hey, Locke.

-Hi.

-There's Ayan.

-What's up?

-You.

There's Samay.

-Good evening.

-And Brandon.

-Greetings.

-Ladies and gentlemen, Bob Miller Middle School!

[cheers and applause] -Ready?

Let's play Junior Varsity Quiz .

This procedure involved removing the brain and innards, coating body cavities with perfume, soaking a corpse in saltpeter, washing it, wrapping cotton bandages around it.

Name this ancient process-- And that's Miller, Ayan: Mummifying -I think we can take that.

Yes.

Points now for Miller.

We move to the next question.

After World War II, the captured Nazi, Werner von Braun, was asked where he got his ideas for that destructive V-2 rocket.

He replied, "Don't you know your own rocket pioneer?

He was ahead of us all."

To which American scientist was von Braun referring?

Miller, Samay: Albert Einstein -No.

White, Aaron: Oppenheimer -No.

It was Robert Goddard.

No points.

Next question.

Each of the raised black keys on a piano has two names that can be used interchangeably.

What names are given to a black key that lies between a white Key C and a white Key D?

Miller, Ayan: C Sharp -And?

So that's incorrect.

That's incorrect.

We timed out?

Okay, so White, Aaron: C Sharp and D Flat -That's what we were looking for.

Points go to White on this one.

Next question.

Phil Simms was a quarterback with the New York Giants.

He was the first to say it after Super Bowl XXI, but nobody said it after Super Bowl-- Miller, Locke: 50 -That is incorrect.

That is an interrupt.

I'll complete the question for White.

Nobody said it after Super Bowl XXXIX, because this promotion ended after 18 years.

So finish this phrase spoken by the star of the winning team.

"I'm going to...!"

Name this amusement center.

White, Hannah: Disneyland -Yes.

Or Disney World.

So next question.

The Continental Congress reluctantly commissioned him as a Major General back in 1777-- Miller, Samay: George Washington -Incorrect.

That is an interrupt.

I'll complete the question now for White.

--but didn't give him a command until he passed his teenage years and learned how to speak English-- White, Aaron: Marquis de Lafayette -Yes.

For a mirror to work, two conditions must be met.

First, the silver backing of the mirror must have only about half the normal amount of silver.

Second, how must the level of light in the observation room compare with that in the room being observed?

[bell chimes, time expires] -It must be lower.

The two way mirror.

Next question.

The first three chapters of Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain do not feature a single steamboat.

Instead, they are a history lesson beginning with the arrival on the river of which Spanish explorer?

And that's White, Ayan: Christopher Columbus -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] -I think you got in.

And that is White, Aaron: Ponce de Leon.

-No.

It was Hernando de Soto.

No points.

Next question.

Hollow spaces in the bones surrounding the nose that can become congested, clogged, or infected, those are called what?

And that's Miller, Locke: Nostrils -No.

White, Hannah: Nasal Cavities -No.

They're called sinuses.

Next question is a calculation question, students.

The average adult male giraffe weighs 3,500 pounds.

How many tons would 20 average adult male giraffes weigh?

Miller, Ayan: 35 Tons -Yes.

Next question.

The title of the second part of a literary fantasy trilogy refers to Orthanc, which is in Isengard, and Parad-dur in the dark land of Mordor.

Name this book.

Miller, Ayan: Lord of the Rings -Incorrect.

White, Ava: Hobbit -No.

We were looking for The Two Towers .

Next question.

The Bai-yu weather phenomenon begins in China, where summer storms gather moisture as they pass over the Yellow Sea.

These rains are crucial to two Japanese crops, plums that ripen during the wet season, and what grain-- White, Aaron: Rice -Yes.

Who was named Time magazine's Person of the Year three times for his accomplishments during the Depression for overcoming polio and-- And that's White, Aaron: Franklin D. Roosevelt -Yes.

What do we call the moon when it's between half and full?

White, Aaron: Gibbous -Yes.

Next question.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome originates in what part of the body?

White, Aaron: Hand -I don't think we can take that.

Incorrect.

Miller, Ayan: Palm -No.

We were looking for the Wrist.

No points.

Next question.

Which Hogwarts dormitory or house does Harry's rival-- Miller, Ayan: Slytherin - Yes.

This trademarked product of Hurst Performance, Incorporated, was developed in 1972 for the racecar industry, but now is used widely by police and fire departments all over the world to extract the victims of car crashes.

Name this device.

Miller, Ayan: Car Extractor -Nope.

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

We were looking for the Jaws of Life.

Next question is a calculation question.

An airplane with an airspeed of 200 miles per hour is flying in an 80 mile per hour wind.

The plane's speed in relation to the ground must be between what and what?

Miller, Ayan: 120 and 280 Miles Per Hour.

-Yes.

Next question.

Lawrence Sperry used a gyroscope developed by his father and what device that keeps aircraft on course without human aid?

White, Aaron: Autopilot -Yes.

What famous early 20th century American female author and speaker overcame major disabilities and established-- That's White, Aaron: Helen Keller -Yes.

What structure was built in Seattle for the 1962 World's Fair-- Miller, Samay: The Space Needle -Yes.

Name the planet whose dark belts were long thought to be giant downdrafts and whose light belts were thought to be areas of rising gas where we now know the reverse is true.

Miller, Samay: Saturn -Incorrect.

White, Hannah: Neptune -No.

We were looking for Jupiter.

Next question.

This one-syllable word is the common name for a family of herbs that includes basil, lavender, catnip, and oregano.

What's the word that in flavorings commonly-- White, Ava: Spice -Incorrect.

That is an interrupt.

Okay Miller, Ayan: Dyes -No.

We were looking for Mint.

An MRI scanner takes an internal picture of the body by forcing the axes and the nuclei of hydrogen in a certain compound to line up.

Name that most common compound in the body.

Miller, Samay: Hydrogen -Incorrect.

White, Hannah: Neuron -No, it's water.

Next question.

The German word for "nose" gives the name of what device used for breathing underwater?

White, Aaron: Snorkel -Yes.

To which of the three classes of rock does chalk belong?

Miller, Ayan: Sedimentary -Yes.

We've come to the end of Round 1.

Give these kids a round of applause.

[applause] But before we move on, we want to get to know our players.

We start over here with Thurman White, and say hello to 7th grader Ava.

Hi, Ava.

-Hi.

-Having fun?

-Yeah.

-Says here you have a hobby of musical theater.

-Yeah.

-Do you participate, or just like to watch?

-I like to participate in it.

I do some of it at my dance studio.

And then I also like to watch stuff, like Hamilton.

-Do you have a favorite-- Oh, Hamilton is your favorite?

-Yeah.

Awesome.

Keep enjoying.

Good luck on Junior Varsity Quiz .

Thanks, Ava.

Here's 8th grader, Hannah.

Hi, Hannah.

-Hi.

-This says that you have a class at school called Film Production?

-Yeah.

-That's crazy!

What do you guys do?

-Well we, like, make a lot of short films in groups.

And right now we are working on a class movie that's going to be longer than the short ones.

-Wow!

That's very cool.

I didn't have that as kid.

So good luck with that.

Good luck here on Varsity Quiz .

Thanks, Hannah.

Here's 8th grader Aaron.

Hi, Aaron.

-Hello.

-Good to see you.

Now, I imagine most of the folks here know, but I want to make sure our audience learns what the National Junior Honor Society is.

What's that all about?

-You do some community service, and you can help out like just around the school, around the community.

And it's really fun because you get to, like, be a part of your, like, greater community.

-Awesome.

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

Thanks, Aaron.

-Thank you.

-Here's 6th grader Leah.

Hi, Leah.

-Hi.

-Nice to see you.

This says that one of your hobbies is watching Legally Blonde .

-Yeah.

-How many times?

-I think I'm on eight right now.

-Is this-- Wasn't there like one or two of those movies?

-Yeah.

I watched the Legally Blondes .

That one was not very good.

-Oh.

-And I watched-- [laughing] And I watched the Red, White & Blonde .

That one was cute.

-Okay.

Well, keep on watching, and good luck here on Varsity Quiz .

Those are our students from Thurman White Middle School.

[cheers and applause] -Let's meet our players from Bob Miller Middle School.

We say hello to Locke.

-Hi.

Do you remember what you wrote about an interesting fact about you?

Do you remember what you wrote?

-Yeah.

-What did you write?

-I'm left-handed.

-What's that?

-I'm left-handed.

-Yeah?

No big deal, right?

-I guess not.

-All right.

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

Here's a 6th grader Ayan.

Hi, Ayan.

-Hi.

-Now again, students may know this, but maybe other folks don't.

What is "Math Counts"?

-It's a math competition where you, where you basically answer 30 questions.

And then whoever does that moves on to State and then Nationals.

-So it's kind of like Varsity Quiz , but it's all math?

-Yes.

-All right.

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

Here's Samay.

Hi, Samay.

-I'm great.

How are you?

-I'm mostly sunny.

This says you participate in a sport.

What sport do you participate in?

-Tennis.

-How long have you been playing?

-I think two and a half years, three years.

-Now, there's no tennis teams in middle schools, are there?

-There is an informal club.

-Okay.

Good luck with the tennis, and good luck on Junior Varsity Quiz .

Thank you, Samay.

And here's 8th grader Brandon.

Hi, Brandon.

-Hello.

-What is involved in "making maps"?

You said that's one of your hobbies.

-Yeah.

So I will usually, sometimes in a computer, maybe like on a paper, I will draw fictional or maybe based off real life maps.

-So you may be a cartographer when you grow up?

-Yeah, probably.

-Awesome.

Good luck luck on Varsity Quiz .

That's Bob Miller Middle School!

[cheers and applause] Stick around.

The Bonus Round is coming right up.

Going into Round 2, the score: White Middle School has 40 points to Miller Middle School's 15.

[crashing sound] Anything can happen.

We have one new player for White.

We say hello to Angelina.

Hi, Angelina.

Good to see again.

-Hello.

-And for Miller, we have Charlie and Raagavi.

Welcome back, you guys.

Good to see you.

This round is timed at six minutes, and that time starts as I begin this question: Oxygen has a chemical symbol O.

What is the chemical symbol of hydrogen?

That's Miller, Ayan: H -Yes.

Bonus questions now for Miller only, giving the chemical symbol for the following elements: First, neon.

Second, gold.

[students deliberate] -For the first question, we got Ne.

And for the second question, we got Au.

-Both are correct.

You have bonus points.

Now this question for both teams.

A Silkworm, it's not actually a worm.

What is it?

That's White, Aaron: Caterpillar -That is correct.

Bonus language questions now for White only.

First, an "English horn."

It's not English.

It's not a horn.

What class of instruments does it belong to?

Second, a shooting star is not a star.

What is it?

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Our answers are Brass and Comet.

-Both are incorrect.

An English horn belongs to the Woodwind family, and a shooting star is a Meteor.

No bonus points.

And now this question for both teams.

What independent area was established within Rome-- And that's Miller, Charlie: The Vatican City -Yes.

Bonus questions now for Miller only.

You don't need to lean in, Charlie.

We got you.

Bonus questions about Rome.

First, they say that Rome is built on how many hills?

Second, Michelangelo designed the dome of what great basilica?

[students deliberate] For our first question, we got 7 hills.

And for the second question, we got St. Peter's Basilica.

-Both are correct.

You got bonus points.

Now this question for both teams.

What name is given to a long narrative poem celebrating the deeds of heroes of history or legend?

That's Miller, Raagavi: An Epic -Yes.

Bonus questions now about poetry for Miller Middle School only.

First, name the woman invoked in Poe's "The Raven."

Second, what literary term describes two successive lines of poetry that rhyme?

[students deliberate] -Captain?

-For the first question, we got Angela.

And for the second question, we got End Rhyming.

-Both are incorrect.

We needed Lenore and Couplet.

No bonus points.

This question now for both teams.

Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives the right to free speech?

That's Miller, Charlie: The First Amendment -Yes.

Bonus questions now for Miller only about our country's founding documents.

First, how many amendments to the Constitution have been made so far?

Second, what are the three inalienable rights of the people according to the Declaration of Independence?

[students deliberate] For the first question, we got 27 Amendments.

And for the second question, we got Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

-Both are correct.

You got bonus points.

Now this question for both teams is a calculation question, students.

During the first four days of Jose's time at graduate school, he had to wake up at 5:30, 5:30, 7:10, and 7:30.

On average, at what time did he have to wake up each morning?

And that's Miller, Ayan: 6:25 -Yes.

Bonus calculation questions now for Miller only.

First, what's the value of -3 to the fourth power?

Second, solve this equation: 24x + 14 = -6x - 6 [students deliberate] -For the first question, we got 81.

And for the second question, we got -2/3.

-Both are correct.

You got bonus points.

Now this question for both teams.

In which book do we first meet the literary characters Meg Murray, Charles Wallace-- That's Miller, Samay: A Wrinkle in Time -Yes.

Bonus questions for Miller only about children's literature.

First, in what book do we meet Jesse Aarons, Leslie Burke, Ms. Edmonds, and Dark Master?

Second, in what book do we meet Louis the yard teacher, Mrs. Gorf, Mrs. Jewl, lots of students including Mauricio who loves ice cream?

[students deliberate] For the first question, we got Harry Potter .

For the second question, we got Magic School Bus .

-Both are incorrect.

First one is Bridge to Terabithia .

Second one was Sideways Stories from Wayside School.

No bonus points.

Next question for both teams.

What Australian Bay is named for the many plants growing on its shore?

Miller, Ayan: Bay of Plants -Incorrect.

White, Ava: Great Barrier Reef -No.

We were looking for Botany Bay.

Next question.

What Austrian city is closely associated with Beethoven, Mozart, and Strauss?

That's White, Aaron: Vienna -Yes.

Bonus questions now for Thurman White only about geography.

First, the most famous Dutch art museum, the Rijksmuseum, that's located in what city?

Second, in what city did the artists of the Harlem Renaissance live?

[students deliberate] Our first answer is Amsterdam.

Our second answer is New York.

-Both are correct.

You got bonus points.

All right.

Okay.

Before we move on, let's talk about our Junior Varsity Quiz coaches because they put in a lot of work with students week after week and a lot of extra time outside the classroom to make Junior Varsity Quiz a success.

The coaches of our championship teams: For White Middle School, we have Christina Radosevich.

[applause] For Miller Middle School, Erick Ekker.

[applause] The Speed Round is coming right up.

[crashing sound] We got a great championship match going on here.

The score going into Round 3: Thurman White, 60 points.

Miller Middle School, 85.

[crashing sound] Anything can happen in our Speed Round.

Before we get there, we do have a player on White.

We want to say hello to Hannah.

-Hi.

-Welcome back.

For Miller, Locke is back.

And here's Thomas.

Hey, Thomas.

-Hi.

-Let's go!

In Homer's The Iliad , who was the Trojan warrior hero?

Miller, Samay: Achilles -No.

That's White, Angelina: Odysseus -No.

It's Hector.

No points.

Next question.

Which German city is the most populous?

Miller, Locke: Berlin -Yes.

A nuisance to sailors, these crustaceans attach themselves to the bottoms-- And that's White, Aaron: Barnacle -Yes.

What parts of the body can be described as fixed, pivot, ball and socket-- That's White, Aaron: Joint -Yes.

If you crossed the St. Croix River from Wisconsin, you'd be in what state to the west?

Miller, Ayan: Minnesota -Yes.

In commerce, the value put on an item or commodity where somebody needs to know that value in order to pay for it, that's called the what?

Miller, Samay: Price -Yes.

What famous European tourist attraction was closed for a decade to have its inclination adjusted?

Miller, Locke: The Leaning Tower of Pisa -Yes.

What word means "a road around town" or "a heart surgery to reroute blood"?

Miller, Ayan: Detour -No.

White, Hannah: Route -No.

We were looking for Bypass.

Next question.

What did Daedalus use to hold the feathers together in the wings he made for himself and his son?

White, Aaron: Wax -Yes.

Miami is closer to two world capitals than it is to its own state capital.

Name either one of these cities.

That's Miller, Ayan: Havana -Yes, or Nassau.

Next is a calculation question.

We do not repeat them here in the third round.

32 is 8% of what number?

Miller, Samay: 400 -Yes.

How many bodies of water border the country of Afghanistan.

Miller, Ayan: Zero -Correct.

Which two religious groups were in conflict in Northern Ireland which led to violence-- And that's Miller, Samay: Protestants and Catholics -Yes, sir.

What arena is the home of the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers?

Miller, Ayan: The New York Arena -Nope.

White, Aaron: MetLife Stadium -No.

Madison Square Garden.

Next question.

What degree of burn destroys the skin and underlying tissue?

Miller, Samay: 3rd -Yes.

Myths about which creatures may have come from ancient humans digging up dinosaur bones and knowing that there had been large flying beasts?

Miller, Locke: Dragons -Yes.

Fiords abound in which U.S. state?

White, Aaron: Alaska -Yes.

What's the literal meaning of the word "Renaissance"?

Miller, Ayan: New Change -No.

White, Aaron: Rebirth -Yes.

The Rock of Gibraltar consists of some shale but mostly one other rock that's frequently-- White, Aaron: Slate -Incorrect.

That's an interrupt.

--with other rock that frequently forms caves?

Miller, Locke: Limestone -Yes.

What kind of animal was aboard the Russian satellite Sputnik II?

White, Aaron: Dog -Yes.

Mesopotamia was located between which two-- White, Aaron: Tigris and Euphrates -Yes.

What's the name of the building in which an ambassador lives and works?

White, Aaron: Embassy -Yes.

What's the common 10-letter word for cigarette smoke inhaled by nonsmokers that can cause them-- Miller, Ayan: Secondhand -Yes.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, much better known by what other name because of the famous baseball player who died from it?

That's Miller, Locke: Cancer -Incorrect.

White, Aaron: Poisoning -No.

We were looking for Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Famous baseball player.

Almost as popular as the Academy Awards themselves is the preshow arrival ceremony known by what name?

Miller, Locke: The Red Carpet Ceremony -Yes.

Name the general who was the leader of the losing side of the Battle of Gettysburg.

White, Aaron: Lee -Yes.

In the West, China's capital city of Beijing was formerly identified by this name.

Miller, Samay: Nanjing -Incorrect.

White, Aaron: Peking -Yes.

The Australian wilderness commonly called by what name?

Miller, Thomas: The Outback -Yes.

Isaac Newton was right in his prediction that Saturn would slow down in its orbit as it approached Jupiter, as a result of his universal theory of-- Miller, Ayan: Gravity -Yes.

In what state is Davy Crockett National Forest found?

That's Miller, Locke: Maryland -No.

White, Aaron: Texas -Yes.

We're done.

Let's find out who won.

[crashing sound] And the final score: Thurman White Middle school's 110 points to Miller Middle School's 160!

[crashing sound] [cheers and applause] -We want to say thank you to both teams.

What an excellent Junior Varsity Quiz Championship Match.

Congratulations to the 2022-2023 JVQ Champs, Miller Middle School!

[cheers and applause] Now, before we go, we do want to present our 2nd place plaque to Thurman White Middle School and the coach.

Where did she go?

Miss Radosevich, there she is, come on over.

Congratulations!

Thank you guys very much.

[applause] -Thank you so much.

It's been fun.

-You're welcome.

You guys did a great job.

And for the championship, the president of the Kiwanis Club, Phil Colosimo!

-Yes.

We want to present this to the champions.

Congratulations to all the kids.

[cheers and applause] -Thank you so much to the Kiwanis Club.

Now, next week, we're going to wrap up the entire 54th season of Varsity Quiz with a JVQ All Star Match with superstars from all the teams playing just for fun and bragging rights.

Thank you for watching, and we'll see you next time on Varsity Quiz on Vegas PBS.

♪♪♪