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

-Coming up, it's A-Tech... [cheers and applause] ....taking on Palo Verde!

[cheers and applause] This is Varsity Quiz!

♪♪ -Hello and welcome to the 57th season of Varsity Quiz.

We've got the best and brightest high school students matching wits in this unique academic competition.

It's an honor to be your host.

I'm Nathan Tannenbaum.

Hey, we hope you know there are two separate Varsity Quiz leagues in each season's competition.

So we crowned a Blue League champion a couple of weeks ago.

Now we're on the road to the Silver League championship.

And here we have the Advanced Technologies Academy, A-Tech taking on Palo Verde.

So we started with 17 schools in the Silver League in three divisions.

A-Tech had a record of 5-1 in their division.

Their starters... There's Bryan.

Hey, Bryan.

-Hello.

-Caleb.

-Hi.

-William.

-Hello.

-And Vidyuth.

-Hello.

-And the coaches for A-Tech, Johnny Nguyen and Christopher Argento.

That's the team from A-Tech.

[applause] -Okay.

Let's talk about Palo Verde.

They had a record of 3-2 in their division.

Starters for Palo, we have Kaia.

-Hello.

-Daniel.

-Hi.

-Ro.

-Hi.

-And Alex.

-Hi.

-And the coaches for Palo, Kateri Christian and Duane Hanson who could not be with us today.

That's the team from Palo Verde.

[applause] -You guys ready?

Let's play Varsity Quiz.

Which element is added to table salt to prevent-- That's Palo, Ro: chlorine -That is incorrect.

And that's an interrupt.

--to prevent thyroid problems?

A-Tech, Vidyuth: sodium -That's incorrect.

The answer, iodine.

No points.

We move on.

In 2024, there were 285 cases in the U.S.

From January 1 through September 2 of 2025, there were 1,431 cases of what highly contagious viral infection that causes a rash and-- Palo, Ro: measles -That is correct.

Points on the board for Palo.

We move on.

Which Gothic cathedral in Paris had a big fire in 2019-- Palo, Ro: Notre-Dame -Yes.

Pediments are the gables at the top of Greek buildings caused by the sloping roofs on the sides.

These heavily decorated pieces were what shape?

Palo, Alex: triangles -Yes.

Next question.

For centuries, four basic tastes were recognized: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter.

But modern-- Palo, Ro: savory -Yes.

Next question is a calculation question, students.

Find the slope of the line that passes through the points (1, 2) and (3, 8).

Let me repeat.

Find the slope-- We'll just go ahead with A-Tech, Vidyuth: 3 -Correct.

A-Tech is on the board, and we move on.

Which small teardrop shaped structure produces saliva and immune cells, regulates air flow for some sounds in speech, and prevents food from entering-- That's A-Tech, Vidyuth: thymus -No.

That's an interrupt.

--entering the nasal cavity during swallowing?

Palo, Ro: uvula -Correct.

Next question.

Aquaponics is a system that combines aquaculture and what other farming-- Palo, Kaia: hydroponics -Yes.

Next question.

Which 1918 act limited speech critical of the U.S.

during the war?

Palo, Daniel: Espionage Act -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] We were-- That's after the buzzer.

We were looking for the Sedition Act.

No points.

Next question for both teams.

Some athletes drink this, as studies suggest it alleviates cramps 40% faster than water.

In part, this juice replaces sodium-- A-Tech, William: pickle juice -That's right.

Next question.

At the Rivonia Trial in South Africa in 1964, what man gave a famous speech-- A-Tech, Caleb: Mandela -Yes.

Next question.

The 24th Amendment to the U.S.

Constitution abolished what discriminatory practice that required people to pay-- Palo, Alex: voting tax -Incorrect.

And that's an interrupt.

--that required people to pay for the right to vote?

And that's A-Tech, Bryan: Poll Tax -Yes.

Next question.

In what language was Don Quixote originally-- A-Tech, Caleb: Spanish -Yes.

Which nation brokered a 2023 detente between longtime rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, enhancing its diplomatic presence in the Middle East, working to bring more allies towards their nation?

A-Tech, William: Israel -No.

Palo, Ro: Kuwait -No.

We were looking for China.

No points.

Next question.

Because this organ can regenerate to some extent-- A-Tech, Vidyuth: liver -Yes.

What famous trial in 1925 tested a Tennessee law banning the teaching of evolution?

A-Tech, William: the Monkey Scopes trial -Yes.

This year was known for its interconnected uprisings across Europe, often called-- That's A-Tech, Caleb: 1848 -Yes.

What pigment prized by Renaissance painters and made from ground-up lapis lazuli was-- That's A-Tech, Caleb: indigo -Pardon me?

-Indigo?

-No.

That's incorrect and an interrupt.

--and was more expensive than gold?

Palo, Kaia: blue -No.

We were looking for ultramarine.

Next question.

Which 1963 event was led by Martin Luther King, Jr., featuring his famous speech?

A-Tech, William: March on Washington -Yes.

Which Chinese invention helped create the first printed books?

That's A-Tech, Bryan: the printing press -No.

Palo, Ro: paper -No.

We needed block printing or woodblock printing.

No points.

Next question.

We go to December 12 of the year 2000 when the U.S.

Supreme Court decided in a narrow 5 to 4 vote that a county in Florida could not complete a recount of the Presidential vote, citing unequal process between counties.

So this important case bore the last names-- Palo, Daniel: Bush v. Gore -Yes.

In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, what's the name of the young boy who befriends Shmurl through the fence of a concentration camp during World War II, sneaks into the camp wearing striped pajamas to try to help?

A-Tech, Caleb: Max -No.

Palo, Kaia: Hans -No.

It was Bruno.

No points.

Next question.

Theodore Roosevelt's 1904 Roosevelt Corollary declared that the United States would police and intervene in Latin America, causing great distrust among neighboring nations to the south.

But ironically, Theodore Roosevelt was a member of the wedding party of which later President who would counteract the Roosevelt Corollary with the Good Neighbor Policy?

Palo, Alex: Woodrow Wilson -No.

A-Tech, William: FDR -No-- Yes, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Next question.

In the mid-1840s, Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier predicted the existence of an eighth planet in the solar system based on irregularities in the orbit of Uranus, then thought to be the last planet in the solar system.

His calculations were so precise, astronomers were able to find which planet within an hour of looking?

Palo, Alex: Pluto -No.

A-Tech, Vidyuth: Neptune -Yes.

What is the term for a short musical idea or theme that represents a character or concept-- A-Tech, Caleb: motif -Yes.

Hey, we've come to the end of the first round.

Can we have a round of applause for both teams?

It's a good match.

[applause] But we want you to stick around because we're going to take a couple of minutes to get to know more about our players.

We'll start with A-Tech, and we have a senior, Bryan.

Hi, Bryan.

-Hello.

-Welcome.

You wrote that one of your hobbies is Rubik's Cubes.

-Yes.

-Do you time yourself, or what's the-- Is that the whole thing?

-Yeah, you basically time yourself.

It's called Speedcubing.

And you, you try to get the fastest time.

-What's your fastest time?

-My fastest time is around 20 seconds, so not the greatest, but... -Well, just keep working on it.

-Thank you.

-All right.

Good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Bryan.

Here's 10th grader Caleb.

Hey, Caleb.

-Hi.

-You wrote that you play the violin?

-Yeah.

-How long you been doing that?

-Eight years.

-A-Tech doesn't have an orchestra, does it?

Or do they?

-They do.

-But you don't play in it?

This is just for fun?

-Yeah.

-Right on.

Well, keep up the violin, and good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Caleb.

Here's 12th grader William.

Hi, William.

-Hello.

-Okay.

I got to ask you, what is the "Construction Industry Round Table"?

-So it's a architectural design competition.

So like you-- It's you choose one of three [indistinct].

You are on a team.

Like you just try to win it.

Nationals are in DC.

Hasn't happened yet, so hopefully by the time this airs, I'm in DC.

-Okay.

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

Thanks, William.

Here's 9th grader Vidyuth.

-Hello.

-So I'm guessing you have participated in Science Olympiad more than once?

-Yeah.

I've started since seventh grade and have competed, and I'm currently on the team right now.

-So it's filled with odd, goofy events.

What's the most goofy Science Olympiad event that you've done?

-So there are these trial events that happen every time there's an out-of-state event.

One of the trial events was about Italian brain rots, and another one was about Brawl Stars Trivia and so on.

So I would say that's the most goofy and unnatural event.

-Well, good luck with Science Olympiad.

Good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Ladies and gentlemen, our team from A-Tech.

[applause] All right.

Let's meet our players from Palo.

We start with 10th grader Kaia.

Hi, Kaia.

-Hi.

How's your day going?

-Mostly sunny, but you knew that.

You wrote that one of the things you do is track and field.

-I do.

-What event do you do?

-I'm a distance runner, so I run the 800 and 1600.

-How's that going?

-It's pretty fun.

We're in intramurals right now, and I'm actually thinking of expanding to the 400 and 3200 this season.

-Good luck with that.

Good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Kaia.

Here's 12th grader Daniel.

Hi, Daniel.

-Hi.

-Good to see you.

You wrote that you are a Billboard-charting producer.

-Yeah.

-What happened, man?

-I produced on DDG's Blame the Chat.

And that album charted on the Billboard Hot 200.

-Am I supposed to know who DDG is?

-He's a rapper and a streamer, so he does a lot of, like, live music.

And, yeah, he drops a lot of albums.

-One of these days I'll get caught up.

Well, congratulations on that.

-Thank you.

-Good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Here's 12th grader Ro.

Hey, Ro.

-Hi.

-Nice to see you.

You wrote that you have seen a lot of movies.

Do you remember the number that you wrote down?

-Yeah.

Last year my New Year's resolution was to watch one movie a day for every single day of the year.

-And you did it?

-Yeah, I did.

-Do you have a favorite out of all of them, or can you even have one?

-Yeah.

I love the movie director David Lynch, so my favorite movie is Mulholland Drive.

-Oh, okay.

I thought maybe you were gonna say Blue Velvet.

-Oh, no.

-Okay.

Mulholland is a good one, too.

Good luck keeping watching movies, Ro, and good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Here's a 12th grader Alex.

Hey, Alex.

-Hi.

-You wrote that you are a chess player.

Is there a chess team at Palo?

-Yeah, there is, but I was-- I was on that my freshman year, but I got a little busy, so it's been mostly on my own since then.

-It's just a hobby that you're pretty serious about.

-Mm-hmm.

-Good luck with chess.

Good luck here on VQ.

Ladies and gentlemen, Palo Verde!

[applause] And stick around.

Here comes the Bonus Round.

And the score going into Round 2: A-Tech has 50 points to Palo's 25.

So, oh, hey, there's a new player for A-Tech.

We want to welcome Kingston.

Hi, Kingston.

-Hi.

-Welcome aboard.

Palo is going with their same lineup.

So welcome back to you guys.

So in this bonus round, each of 10 possible questions still worth five points.

So a team with the correct answer will get two bonus questions, each also worth five points.

This is where we have team conferring.

You guys get to talk amongst yourselves.

We will give you 10 seconds before we require a response from the team's captain.

Now, this round is timed at six minutes, and that starts as I read this question: Over 20,000 artisans and workers were involved in building the Taj Mahal.

What color marble was used in the construction?

Palo, Ro: white -That's correct.

Bonus questions about India now for Palo only.

First, this clarified butter is used for cooking and flavoring in Indian cuisine.

Second, this Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai produces over 1,000 movies a year, making it one of the highest film-producing industries globally.

You have 10 seconds.

-For the first one, we got ghee; and for the second one, we got Bollywood.

-And you got bonus points in addition to the points from the original question.

Okay.

Here's a question for both teams: What term, including the word "out" means to surpass in beauty, brilliance, and excellence?

A-Tech, Kingston: outshine -Correct.

Bonus questions for A-Tech only now with answers that begin with the word "out."

First, what's the term for frank and candid speech?

Second, what's the term for seagoing canoes of the South Pacific?

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain?

-Outspoken and outtow.

-Outspoken is correct.

The other one is outriggers.

So you have some bonus points, not all.

You retain the points from the original question.

Okay.

Tossup for both teams: The classic three-arched logo represents the iconic Half Dome granite rock formation in California's legendary Yosemite National Park.

What outdoor clothing brand is named after the coldest-- That's Palo, Alex: Patagonia -Incorrect.

--the coldest side of a mountain?

A-Tech, William: Kodak -Nope.

It's The North Face.

No points.

Next question for both teams is a calculation question.

How many moles are in 88 grams of carbon dioxide?

Repeating.

How many moles are in 88 grams of carbon dioxide?

Palo, Alex: 1.75 -Incorrect.

A-Tech, Vidyuth: 2 -Correct.

Bonus calculation questions now for A-Tech only.

First, what's the pH of a solution with hydrogen ion concentration 1 times 10 to the negative 5th?

Second, a device uses 12 volts and draws 2.5 amperes.

What is its power?

I'm going to repeat both questions for you.

First, what's the pH of a solution with hydrogen ion concentration 1 times 10 to the negative 5th?

Second, a device uses 12 volts and draws 2.5 amperes.

What is its power?

[students deliberate] Captain?

-2 and 30.

-2 is incorrect.

The correct answer there is 5.

But 30 is correct.

So some bonus points, not all.

You retain the points from the original question.

Tossup for both teams.

Here we go.

In 1967, which President signed the Public Broadcasting Act into law to support the instructional, educational, and cultural purposes of Public Television and Radio Broadcasting for the American people?

Palo, Ro: Kennedy -Incorrect.

A-Tech, William: LBJ -Correct.

Bonus questions for A-Tech only about public broadcasting.

First, what Sesame Street character, originally performed by Caroll Spinney, was designed to teach children about different perspectives, literally, by towering over everybody else on the street?

Second, in Mr.

Rogers' Neighborhood, what was the name of the fictional kingdom ruled by King Friday, XIII?

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain?

-Big Bird and Make-Believe Village.

-Both-- I think we can take-- No?

Okay.

So the first one is correct.

The second one we needed Neighborhood of Make-Believe or Land of Make-Believe.

So some bonus points, not all.

Tossup for both teams.

Does the following body part belong to the eye, ear, nose, or throat: septum?

Palo, Ro: nose -Correct.

Bonus questions about body parts belonging to the eye, ear, nose, or throat for Palo only.

First, what group does the pharynx belong to?

And second, what group does the malleus belong to?

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] -For the first one, we got throat; for the second one, we got ear.

-Both are correct.

You got bonus points.

Here's a tossup for both teams: It only took eight years, but in 1961, President Kennedy committed the U.S.

to accomplishing what within 10 years?

Palo, Alex: landing on the moon -Yes.

Okay.

Bonus questions for Palo only about space missions.

First, what is the common name for a pressurized garment assembly?

And second, how many astronauts did each manned Mercury spacecraft have?

You got 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] -For the first one, we got space suit; and for the second one, we got three.

-Space suit is correct.

Mercury was one person.

So some bonus points, but not all.

And we're out of time.

Okay.

Hey, we just want to take a quick second to say thank you to the Kiwanis Club of Las Vegas.

Hope you've heard of them.

They help provide judges for the in-school competitions, because Varsity Quiz isn't just on PBS, it's all school year long.

They led up to the matches that we have here today.

Hey, and a shout-out, too, to the staff and leadership of the Clark County School District's Student Activities department.

They're busy all year long.

They, they do every step of the way of our program, from early in the school year all the way to the championships.

Speed Round coming up!

Here's your score going into Round 3.

It's a close one.

A-Tech has 80 points.

Palo has 60.

One new player for A-Tech.

We welcome Andrew.

Hi, Andrew.

-Hi.

-Welcome.

Palo is going with their same team, so let's get this party started.

What's the name for any of the physical hardware where data is permanently kept, like a hard drive?

Palo, Alex: hardware -Incorrect.

A-Tech, Andrew: storage devices -Correct.

Next question.

What Mediterranean nation with many islands gained independence from the Ottoman Empire after-- That's A-Tech, Caleb: Greece -Yes.

What type of law is based on previous court decisions rather than-- That's A-Tech, Caleb: [no answer] -No answer?

Let me finish the question.

--based on previous court decisions rather than written statute?

Palo, Daniel: implied law -No.

It's common law.

No points.

We move on.

It's a calculation question.

Now, remember, we don't repeat here in the third round, so listen up.

What is the area of an equilateral triangle with side length s, as in Sam?

Palo, Daniel: one-half s squared -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] We were looking for root three-quarters, s squared.

Next question.

Which part of the neuron receives incoming signals?

Palo, Ro: dendrite -Yes.

There are two types of cooling units used to prevent a computer from overheating.

One's the CPU cooler.

What's the other?

Palo, Ro: fan -No.

A-Tech, Andrew: cooling gel -No.

It's the heat sink.

No points.

Next question.

Which Scandinavian country remained neutral in both World Wars?

A-Tech, Kingston: Sweden -Yes.

What's the term for two lines that never intersect and are-- That's A-Tech, Caleb: parallel -Yes.

What's the term for the wave-like involuntary muscle contractions that move food through the digestive-- Palo, Ro: peristalsis -Yes.

What work by Machiavelli discussed power and political-- A-Tech, Caleb: The Prince -Yes.

What's the name of the tough, flexible connective tissue found in joints that cushions-- A-Tech, Andrew: cartilage -Yes.

Abscission of deciduous trees happens in which season?

Palo, Ro: autumn -Yes.

What term describes the evolutionary process that leads to similar traits in unrelated species, like-- A-Tech, Andrew: convergent evolution -Yes.

How many vertebrae are normally in the adult human spine?

Palo, Ro: 33 -Incorrect.

A-Tech, Caleb: 24 -Ooh!

26.

No points.

Next question.

What 1995 peace accord ended the Bosnian War and established a power-sharing government?

Palo, Daniel: the Paris Peace Accords -Incorrect.

A-Tech, Caleb: Dayton -Correct.

What's the nearest star system to Earth after the sun?

A-Tech, Andrew: Proxima -Incorrect.

Palo, Ro: Betelgeuse -No.

I'm glad you didn't say that three times.

Alpha Centauri.

No points.

Next question.

David Alfaro Siqueiros and Jose Clemente Orozco were muralists that painted messages about social injustice alongside what other famous Mexican-- Palo, Ro: Rivera -Yes.

What's the main sugar made during photosynthesis?

Palo, Ro: glucose -That's right.

Which business tycoon built a fortune in steel before turning to philanthropy-- A-Tech, William: Carnegie -Yes.

Rutherford used what famous experiment for the discovery of the atomic nucleus?

A-Tech, Andrew: Gold Foil Experiment -Yes.

Which two-county region of the U.S.

grew rapidly in the late 20th century due to the tech industry?

Palo, Ro: Silicon Valley -That's right.

James Watson and Francis Crick made a breakthrough by creating the first model of DNA molecules back in the 1950s.

This greatly furthered what fairly new specific field of scientific study?

Palo, Ro: genetics -Yes.

Which Shakespeare play features a shipwreck and-- That's A-Tech, Caleb: The Tempest -Yes.

What part of the brain is significantly more developed in humans than in most other vertebrates?

Palo, Ro: frontal lobe -No.

A-Tech, Caleb: prefrontal cortex -No.

We were looking for the cerebrum.

No points.

Next question.

Which famous structure was one of the first apartment buildings in what was then a sparsely populated area when it was completed in 1884?

It is famously the place that John Lennon was killed in front of.

That's Palo, Ro: Empire State Building -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] We're out of time for that question.

It's called The Dakota.

Next question.

And we are out of time.

All right.

Let's find out who won.

Wow!

Final score-- This is a close match.

A-Tech ends up with 130 points to Palo Verde's 95.

Could we have a round of applause for both teams.

This was a great match.

[applause] But congratulations to A-Tech for the win.

We'll see you guys in the semifinals, but not right away, because we want you to tune in next week.

It'll be Clark High School taking on West CTA in our first semifinal.

That's going to be a pretty exciting match, another exciting match of Varsity Quiz right here on Vegas PBS.