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

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

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

[crashing sound] ♪♪♪ [cheers and applause] Hello and welcome.

This is the 55th season of Varsity Quiz, continuing now with more Junior Varsity Quiz.

It's an honor to be your host, Nathan Tannenbaum.

Miller Middle School defeated Greenspun and Rogich defeated Faiss Middle School to get to this Blue League Championship.

We want to meet our starting players.

We'll start with Rogich.

We say hello to Vincent.

Hi, Vincent.

-Hello.

There's Cindy.

Hi, Cindy.

-Hello.

-There's Rachel.

-Hello.

-And Holden.

Ladies and gentlemen, those are our starters for Rogich Middle School!

[cheers and applause] Now let's meet our starters for Miller.

We say hello to Noble.

Hi, Noble.

-Hello.

-There's Liam.

Hey, Liam.

-Hi.

-There's Amanda.

-Hi.

-And Anish.

-Ladies and gentlemen, that's our starters from Miller Middle School!

[cheers and applause] All right.

Everybody ready?

Let's play Junior Varsity Quiz.

What sport uses a score of "love"?

That's Rogich, Holden: tennis -That is correct.

Points for Rogich, and we roll right on.

Lois Lowry has won four of which award, more than anyone else since the award started in 1922?

And that's Miller, Anish: Grand Slam titles -That's incorrect.

Rogich, Cindy: Newbery awards -That is correct.

More points for Rogich.

Let's keep rolling.

"Espressivo" is not a term about caffeinated products.

It means "to play with expression" in what area of the fine arts?

That's Miller, Liam: art -Incorrect.

Rogich, Holden: music -Yes.

And we keep going.

Next question.

Spell the correct form of the word "your" that I'm going to use in this sentence: You're the sunshine-- And that's Rogich, Holden: y-o-u-r-e -That is incorrect.

Miller, Noble: y-o-u-apostrophe-r-e -Correct.

Next question.

And it's a calculation question now, students, so get your scratch paper going.

A bicycle is on sale for 15% off its original price of $400.

So how much are you going to pay before taxes?

[buzzer sound] [bell chimes] So we'll go with Rogich and Cindy: $394 -That's incorrect.

You need to be a little louder.

Miller, Noble: $260 -That's incorrect.

It's $340.

No points.

We move on.

In the United States, how often are there Presidential elections?

Miller, Anish: every 4 years -Yes, sir.

The largest persistent atmospheric storm in our solar system is what area of the largest planet?

Miller, Liam: Jupiter -That's incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] -We were looking for-- [buzzer sound] The buzzer is over.

We were looking for Great Red Spot.

You had the right planet, but we needed which area.

No points.

We move on.

Which European island nation located in the North Atlantic is known for its geysers and hot springs and the Blue Lagoon that draws a lot of tourists every year?

Miller, Liam: Iceland -Correct.

Next question.

What is the plural possessive form of the word "child"?

Miller, Anish: children -That's incorrect.

Rogich, Rachel: child's -No.

We're looking for children's.

We said plural possessive.

Next question.

Architects work with many other professionals including which group that plans the furniture and furnishings inside buildings?

Miller, Liam: interior designers -Yes.

The U.S.S.

Enterprise was the first U.S. Navy aircraft carrier that used what type of power?

Rogish, Cindy: solar power -Incorrect.

Miller, Noble: a generator -No.

We were looking for nuclear power.

No points.

We move on.

Which American inventor is known for the development of the electric light bulb?

Miller, Liam: Thomas Edison -Correct.

Name the character who says "To be"-- Miller, Amanda: Hamlet -Yes.

What event in 1773 involved the protest of British tea taxes to by American colonists?

Rogich, Cindy: Boston Tea Party -Yes.

Next question.

What sewing term has been borrowed to mean a series of messages on the same topic like in emails or texts?

Rogich, Holden: thread -Yes.

Next question.

When visiting Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, you might hear "Shalom."

In which language is this a common greeting?

Rogich, Rachel: Jewish -Pardon me?

-Jewish.

-That's incorrect.

[buzzer sound] [bell chimes] We will go with Miller, Amanda: Hebrew -That's what we were looking for, yes.

Next question.

Which inductee into both the Country Music and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame wrote hit songs like "A Smoky Mountain Christmas" and "Jolene"?

Miller, Amanda: Dolly Parton -That is correct.

Okay, next question.

The nearly 15,000-foot Tamu Massif is a seamount in the Pacific, likely the largest such formation in the world.

So it is the creation of an extinct underwater what?

Miller, Liam: volcano -Yes.

In the book-- in which book by Jules Verne does Captain Nemo command the submarine-- Miller, Amanda: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea -Correct.

Next up is a calculation question, students.

We need you to solve for x.

/¦x - 3/¦ = 7 And we'll go with Miller, Noble: 10 -That's incorrect.

Rogich, Cindy: Negative 10 -That's incorrect.

We needed x = 10 or x = -4.

We needed both of them.

Okay, next question.

The largest lake in Africa was named by an explorer after someone in Europe with what title?

Rogich, Vincent: Queen -Yes.

What was the name of the submersible vehicle in which tourists were killed in the summer of 2023?

Miller, Amanda: submarine -That's incorrect.

That is an interrupt.

--in the summer of 2023 as they went down to look at the wreckage of the Titanic?

Rogich, Holden: OceanGate -No.

They were in a little submersible called the Titan.

We move on.

What's the tallest mountain range in the United States?

Miller, Noble: the Rocky Mountains -Yes.

Each of the four houses of the Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft is overseen by a professor, but we want you to name any two of those four houses.

Miller, Anish: Gryffindor and Hufflepuff -That's fine, yeah.

We would have taken Ravenclaw or Slytherin, but you got points.

Next question.

Although this toy has achieved longevity, it was determined that he didn't foster learning or creativity.

So although he hit the shelves back in 1961, only two years later than his female counterpart toy, which toy was not chosen for the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2023?

Miller, Noble: Barbie's Ken -I think that's what he said.

Yeah, that's exactly right.

Yeah.

Because you know Barbie.

You know Ken.

Ladies and gentlemen, we've come to the end of our first round.

Let's give a round of applause to both teams.

[cheers and applause] I think you guys are getting a feel for this.

You guys a little more relaxed and a little more ready to go?

We're gonna give you just a second here.

Because before we move on, we want to get to know these players more.

We're gonna start over here with Rogich.

We have 6th grader Vincent.

Hi, Vincent.

-Hello.

-You hanging in?

-Yeah.

-You wrote that you play a musical instrument.

What is that?

-I play the trumpet.

-How long you been doing that?

-I started the school year in August.

-So what do you think?

You having fun?

-Yeah, it's an awesome instrument.

It's pretty easy to play because it only has three valves.

-Yeah.

-So you can learn the notes easily.

-Cool.

You might keep playing the trumpet?

-Yeah.

-Good luck, and good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Here's 7th grader Cindy.

Hi, Cindy.

-Hello.

-You wrote that you're a part of the Filipino club.

-Yep.

-Can you tell us what you guys do or what is the Filipino club?

-Sometimes we like, study the culture.

But other times we just try to hang out.

Sometimes we do karaoke.

-Okay.

Well, it sounds like fun.

Enjoy your Filipino club, and good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Thank you, Cindy.

Here's 8th grader Rachel.

Hi, Rachel.

-Hello.

-I have a feeling folks may know what this is, but would you please briefly tell us what is the National Junior Honor Society.

What do you do?

-NJHS is an organization similar to NHS, but it's for middle school.

And it's all about service and helping your community as well as like school spirit and just being a working part of your school.

-Okay.

Well, good luck with that.

And good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Here's 8th grader Holden.

Hi, Holden.

-Hello.

-You have been to the other side of the planet.

What country did you visit?

-I went to Australia.

-And what was that about?

Was this just for fun or at random?

-Yeah, just for fun.

-Wow!

How long were you there?

-I think about a week or two.

-Were you much younger?

Was this recently?

-Much younger.

-Okay.

Well, do you want to go back sometime?

-Nope.

-Okay, you're happy here.

Okay, ladies and gentlemen, that's our players from Rogich.

[cheers and applause] But we're not done yet.

We're gonna meet our starting players for Miller.

We start with 6th grader Noble.

Hi, Noble.

-Hello.

-Everything good?

-Yep.

-You wrote that you like a particular part of our history.

Do you remember what you wrote?

-Yeah.

I put World War II.

I thought that JV Quiz would have a lot more questions based on it, but I've had like two and all other people buzzed in before me.

-But you're ready?

-Yep.

-Well, good luck with World War II history, and good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Here's 7th grader Liam.

Hey, Liam.

-Hi.

-Everything All right?

-Yeah.

-You wrote that you play a musical instrument.

What is it?

-Guitar.

-How long you've been doing that?

-For seven years now.

-Is it electric, acoustic, both?

-Electric and acoustic are actually the same thing.

A lot of people get that confused, though.

-Well, they're different, sort of.

I mean they are guitars.

-They're the same thing.

-Yeah, but electric is louder.

-Same thing.

-Okay.

Are you in a band, or is this just fun?

-It's mainly just for fun.

-Right on.

Good luck with guitar.

Good luck on Junior Varsity Quiz.

Here's 8th grader Amanda.

Hi, Amanda.

-Hi.

-You also play a musical instrument.

What's that?

-The viola.

-And how long you've been doing that?

-Three years.

-And are you in the school orchestra?

-Yes.

-You having fun?

Good luck, and good luck on Junior Varsity Quiz.

Here's 8th grader Anish.

How's it going?

-Good.

How are you?

-I am still mostly sunny.

Would you tell us-- I'm sure your folks know, but maybe some viewers don't know.

What is the Science Olympiad?

-So you choose like a couple of events to do.

And it's like you study for something, you build some contraption.

It's like-- and it's like a competition.

-Yeah.

I mean, I've seen like a catapult.

I've seen bridge building, stuff like that.

Are you having fun with that?

-Yeah.

-Good luck, and here on Varsity Quiz.

Ladies and gentlemen, those are our starters for Miller Middle School.

[cheers and applause] And don't go anywhere.

Our bonus round is coming right up.

All right.

Let's check our score going into Round 2: Rogich with 25 points.

Miller has 60 points.

We want to introduce a couple of new players.

Rogich has a new player, Sean.

Hey, Sean.

-Hello.

-Welcome aboard.

And Miller has one new player.

It's Mary.

Hi, Mary.

-Hello.

-This round is timed at six minutes, and that starts as I start this question.

Which national recreation area has one of the largest man-made lakes in the world that happens to be the reservoir for the Hoover Dam?

Miller, Noble: Lake Mead -Yes.

Bonus questions now for Miller only, and these are about national parks.

First, name the national park that's the hottest, driest, and lowest in the United States.

Second, which Southern Utah National Park was the third most visited in 2023?

[students deliberate] -First one is Death Valley.

Second one is Zion.

-Both are correct.

You got bonus points.

Okay, here's a tossup.

This is for both teams.

Which famous dinosaur had horns on his tail and two rows of bony plates projecting from his back?

Miller, Liam: the stegosaurus -That is correct.

These are bonus questions now for Miller only about dinosaurs.

First, which herbivorous dinosaur, often associated with the late Cretaceous period, had a frill, had spikes on his tail, and horns that may have been a mixture of bone and keratin?

Second, most people knew little about this small, bipedal carnivorous dinosaur until the book and the movie Jurassic Park came out.

And since then, they got all the facts wrong, a lot of misinformation about which creature?

[students deliberate] Captain?

-First one is triceratops.

Second one is velociraptor.

-Both are correct.

You got bonus points.

This tossup now for both teams.

It's a calculation question.

If x + y = 10 and x - y = 2, what are the values of x and y?

Let me repeat.

If x + y-- We'll go with Rogich, Cindy: x = 6 and y = 4 -That is correct.

Bonus questions now for Rogich.

These are calculation questions.

First, what is 29 in Roman numerals?

Second, add 6 times the square root of 5 to 3 times the square root of 5.

[students deliberate] Captain?

-Our first answer is XXVI.

And our second answer is the square root of 5 times 9.

-So I think we can take that second answer.

For Roman numerals, the number 29 is XXIX.

So you get some bonus points, not all.

Here's a tossup for both teams now.

Which U.S.

Constitutional Amendment, passed in 1920, granted women the right to vote?

Rogich, Vincent: 19th -Yes.

Bonus questions for Rogich about the United States government.

First, the legislative branch of the U.S. government is called bicameral.

We want you to name the upper house.

Second, name the system by which the President and Vice President of the United States are chosen.

[students deliberate] -Captain?

-Our first answer is representatives, and our second answer is elections.

-Both are incorrect.

The upper house is the United States Senate.

And the system in which our President and Vice President are chosen is the electoral college.

You get the original points for the question, but no bonus points.

And now this question for both teams.

If you fly on a zero-G plane, you get to experience time without feeling what force?

Miller, Liam: gravity -Yes.

Bonus questions now for Miller only about science.

First, when Marie Curie first discovered radioactive materials, she had no idea they'd one day be used to create what form of energy?

Second, it took the discovery of how to test for DNA and the developments of computer science programs to create a way to identify people using that DNA.

So the large program that holds all the information of folks with known DNA is called what type of program?

[students deliberate] Captain?

-First one is nuclear.

Second one is no answer.

Okay.

So nuclear is correct.

The second one is just a database.

That's the type of program.

So some bonus points, not all.

Let's get to the next tossup for both teams.

Which Southeast Asian kingdom with a capital of Bangkok was known as Siam-- That's Rogich, Vincent: Thailand -Yes.

Bonus questions for Rogich only about countries.

First, one year after the English established Jamestown, what country settled Quebec?

Second, which Asian island nation was named for the king of Spain during the Spanish colonization of those islands in the 16th century?

[students deliberate] Captain?

-Our first answer is 1778, and our second answer is Cuba.

-What was your second answer?

-Cuba.

-Yeah.

Both are incorrect.

We were looking for the country that settled Quebec, which was France.

And then we needed the Asian island nation.

It is the Philippines.

So no bonus points.

You get points for the original question.

We're out of time for our bonus round.

Can we give these kids a round of applause?

[cheers and applause] We want to meet the coaches of our Blue League championship teams.

The coach for Miller, Celia Erickson, couldn't be with us today, so Erick Ekker is in the house.

But both of them are coaching.

For Rogich Middle School, the coach is Keegan Tetrault.

Our speed round coming up.

All right.

We're going into Round 3 now.

Here's our score: Rogich 45 points.

Miller has 100 points.

But we've seen strange things happen.

Anything can happen in the third round.

Before we get going, we have one new player for Rogich.

We say hi to Ta'amar.

Hi, Ta'amar.

-Hello.

-Welcome.

Miller has one new player, Tejasvi.

How's it going?

-Hi.

-Nice to have you here.

Let's get this party started.

Where would you find these words engraved?

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses..." Miller, Noble: Jerusalem -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] You're gonna kick yourself.

[buzzer sound] That's after the buzzer.

The Statue of Liberty.

Next question.

Which high clouds made of ice crystals appear delicate and wispy?

Rogich, Cindy: snow -Incorrect.

Miller, Liam: stratus -No.

We were looking for cirrus.

No points.

We move on.

Which part of the eye contains the colorful pigmented cells-- And we'll go with Miller, Amanda: iris -Yes.

What's the main language of the Netherlands?

Rogich, Vincent: Dutch -Correct.

What U.S. territory was acquired through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848?

Rogich, Cindy: Texas -Incorrect.

Miller, Liam: Puerto Rico -No.

We were looking for California.

No points.

And next is a calculation question.

So remember in the third round, we don't repeat.

So listen closely.

We want you to solve for g. 11g - 4 = 95.

Miller, Tejasvi: G = 9 -Correct.

Next question.

What major event led to the United States entering World War II in 1941?

Rogich, Vincent: Pearl Harbor -Correct.

What contemplative statue would be called Le Penseur in the native language of the sculptor?

Rogich, Cindy: French -Incorrect.

Miller, Liam: Navajo -No.

We were looking for The Thinker.

So "Le Penseur" is French for "the thinker."

No points.

Next question.

Name the college whose women's basketball team has the legendary Caitlin Clark.

Rogich, Vincent: Iowa -Can we take that?

Okay.

Next question.

What United States state is the driest?

Rogich, Vincent: Nevada -Yeah.

Which river flows through the Grand Canyon?

Miller, Tejasvi: the Colorado River -Yes.

So in chess, a knight sits in the corner of an otherwise empty board.

How many different spaces can it travel to-- Miller, Noble: two different spaces -Correct.

According to Poor Richard's Almanack, what two things make a man healthy, wealthy, and wise?

Miller, Liam: money and experience -Oh, it's a great guess, but no.

You're right.

Rogich, Vincent: money and a good job -Oh, man.

You got-- so Poor Richard's Almanack was Ben Franklin.

So his answer was "Early to bed, early to rise."

Next question.

Which Greek god started a chariot ride each dawn?

[bell chimes, time expires] Oh, you guys haven't seen Apollo out there?

Next question.

What island in the western Pacific Ocean experienced a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in April-- Rogich, Vincent: Tonga -Pardon me?

-Tonga?

-Incorrect.

Miller, Liam: Hawaii -No.

We're looking for Taiwan.

Next question.

What's the holy book of Christianity?

Miller, Noble: the Bible -Yes.

Using a confocal laser microscope, scientists have determined that the state of Kansas is, in fact, flatter than which proverbial breakfast item?

Miller, Liam: a pancake -Yeah.

I was trying to be funny.

Okay.

Often associated with the Huns, which fearsome leader invaded Eastern Europe in the fifth century AD, was known as the "Scourge of God."

[bell chimes, time expires] [buzzer sound] That's after the fact.

Attila the Hun.

No points.

Next question.

The International Olympic Committee announced in October of 2023 the addition of five new sports for the Los Angeles games, which will be in 2028.

We want you to name any two of those five new sports.

Miller, Liam: skateboarding and BMX biking -Both are incorrect because they're already in the Olympics.

So here are the new ones coming in 2028: Baseball and softball are coming back.

Cricket is being added.

So is flag football, as well as lacrosse and squash.

Next question.

What's the term for the overall psychological and emotional state of a person?

Miller, Amanda: mental health -Yes.

Which Central American country has Tegucigalpa as his capital?

Rogich, Vincent: Honduras -Yes.

Which baseball stadium in the Bronx, New York, is known as "The House That Ruth Built"?

Miller, Liam: the Yankee Stadium -Yes.

A calculation question.

Again, no repeating in the third round.

The area of a triangle is 36 square inches with a base of 9 inches.

What is its height?

Rogich, Vincent: 8 inches -Correct.

Which great desert and semidesert region of Central Asia stretches across large parts of Mongolia and China?

Rogich, Vincent: the Gobi Desert -Correct.

In 2023-- Do we have time?

I started reading the question.

2023, the people of Netherlands voted to make the daisy their national flower instead of the flower that some people expected.

What's that?

Miller, Liam: the tulip -Yeah.

Okay.

So we're out of time.

Let's find out won.

Our final score: Rogich with 80 points to Miller's 145.

Can we get a round of applause for both teams?

[cheers and applause] Really good match, but we do need to say congratulations to the 2023-2024 Junior Varsity Quiz Blue League champions, Miller Middle School!

[cheers and applause] However, before we hand them their 1st place plaque, we're gonna give our 2nd place plaque to our runners-up in 2nd place, Rogich.

There's their coach, and there's their captain.

Can we have a round of applause for Rogich.

[cheers and applause] Great job, you guys.

And congratulations.

Here is our 1st place plaque, 1st place in the Junior Varsity Quiz Blue League.

Coach and captain, congratulations!

Give it up!

[cheers and applause] Great job.

Congratulations.

All right.

So that wraps it up for now, but we want you to join us next week.

We're closing in on concluding the 55th season of Varsity Quiz.

But we're doing something we've never done before.

It will be the debut of the Junior Varsity Quiz Virtual League championship.

We'll see you next week right here on Vegas PBS.