>> Join us tonight as Pioneer Valley Regional School goes up against Turners Falls High School, the historic 64th season of Western New England's award winning high school quiz show continues tonight as schools match wits.

>> The members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association are working together to ensure that all students have the resources they need to succeed.

The MTA, a diverse union of education workers committed to the public schools and colleges our communities deserve.

>> You can see the difference from the first couple of minutes that you walk onto this campus.

You realize that it's not just a campus.

It's a community.

It's a family.

>> Good evening and welcome to.

As schools match wits coming to you from the campus of Westfield State University.

I'm your host, Beth Ward.

Once again, high schools from throughout our region are going head to head in qualifying matches to see who can score enough points to finish in the top eight and compete in this season's championship tournament.

In tonight's matchup, we have Pioneer Valley Regional School going up against Turners Falls High School.

Let's meet the teams starting with Turners Falls, coached by David Smith.

>> Hi, I'm Logan LeBlanc, a senior at Turners Falls High School.

>> My name is David Ortiz and I'm a junior at Turners Falls High School.

>> Hi, I'm Estes Rankin, I'm a junior at Turners Falls High School.

>> And for Pioneer Valley Regional coached by Karen Browning and Dana Unitas.

>> Hello.

My name is Emma Snow and I am a senior at Pioneer Valley.

>> Hi, my name is Lexine.

I'm a senior from Pioneer Valley Regional School.

>> Hi, my name is Eric Briggs and I'm a senior at Pioneer Valley Regional High School.

>> Hi, my name is Clay white.

I'm a junior at Pioneer Valley Regional.

>> Let's take a look at our current top eight.

You can see that Belchertown on top with 425 score to beat tonight.

To crack into that top eight is 280.

So once again we do start off each match with the challenge round.

Both teams will have a chance to buzz in and answer questions for ten points each.

Good luck to both teams.

Here we go with the first question of the evening.

The Mayflower Compact was signed aboard the same named ship in November of what year?

1620 is the right answer there.

Let's try this.

In which part of the human body will you find the patella?

Pioneer valley.

>> The lake.

>> Please be more specific.

>> Um.

The foot.

>> I'm sorry.

That is incorrect.

All right.

Turners falls.

That gives you the chance to answer the question.

>> The knee?

>> Yes.

The knee is what we were looking for there.

Try this name the 2023 DC comics superhero film that takes Barry Allen on a multi universe adventure where he learns the dangers of meddling with the past firsthand.

Turners.

Falls.

>> The flash.

>> Yes, the flash is correct.

A crescendo is a method used by composers to indicate that the music passage should gradually increase over time.

In which of the following loudness, speed or pitch?

Pine Valley.

>> Loudness.

>> Yes.

Loudness is correct.

After serving 22 years as a political prisoner, Nelson Mandela was released in 1990 and in 1994 became president of what country?

Pioneer Valley, South Africa?

Yes.

That's correct.

Grab your pens for this.

If 5% of a certain number is 16, then what's the number?

>> 320.

>> Yes.

Turners falls, that is correct.

Before Alaska and Hawaii were both admitted to the union in 1959.

Which state became the 48th U.S. state in 1912?

Turners falls.

>> California.

>> I'm sorry.

That is incorrect.

All right.

Pioneer Valley, that gives you the chance to answer.

>> Maybe New Mexico State in Mexico.

>> The correct answer there is Arizona.

What is the name of any quadrilateral whose four sides all have the same length?

Pioneer Valley.

>> Square.

>> I'm sorry.

That is incorrect.

Turners falls, can you answer?

>> Diamond.

>> Correct answer.

There is rhombus.

Let's move on.

Complete the following relationship.

Topeka is to Kansas as what capital city is to Louisiana.

>> Baton Rouge.

>> Pioneer Valley.

Yes, that is correct.

Of the Mediterranean Sea, the Caribbean Sea or the Bering Sea?

Where will you find the Cayman Islands?

Turners falls.

>> The Caribbean?

>> Yes.

That's correct.

In order to play the board game backgammon, you'll need two sets of 15 checkers, two pairs of dice, and a doubling cube.

Spell the word backgammon.

>> Pioneer Valley b a c k g m o n. >> Yes that's right.

Which Scandinavian country is home to the largest amount of islands of any world?

Country?

At 267,570.

Islands.

Turners falls.

>> Norway.

>> I'm sorry.

That is incorrect.

Pioneer Valley, can you answer?

>> Finland.

>> Sweden is the right answer there.

In Roman mythology, Faunus is the god of nature and the woodlands.

What's the name of his counterpart in Greek mythology?

Pioneer valley.

>> Pan.

>> Yes.

That's right.

With the atomic number of 80.

Which chemical element is abbreviated with the letters HG.

Turners.

Falls.

>> Mercury.

>> Yes, Mercury is right.

Which of the following is not a movie starring Emma Stone, The Amazing Spider-Man, Thor Ragnarok, or Cruella.

Pioneer Valley.

>> Thor Ragnarok.

>> Yes!

That's right.

On what object in the solar system will you find?

A place called the Sea of Tranquility?

Turners falls.

>> Maurice.

>> Sorry, that is incorrect.

All right, Pioneer Valley, can you answer?

>> Uh, moon?

>> Yes.

The moon.

I had to take the first one that I heard.

All right, let's move on to this one.

Name the doctor Seuss book that has the line in it.

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot.

Turner's falls, the Lorax.

Yes.

Did not have to finish that one.

Nice job.

Asiago, Havarti and Edam are all types of what?

Pioneer Valley.

>> Cheese?

>> Yes that's right.

If you travel due east from Boise, Idaho, what is the first state border that you'll cross?

Pioneer Valley.

>> Montana.

>> I'm sorry, that is incorrect.

That gives Turners Falls a chance to answer.

>> North Dakota.

>> Wyoming is the right answer.

Which of the following lunar phases immediately follows a full moon.

Is it?

Waning crescent.

Waning gibbous or waxing crescent.

Turners falls.

>> Waning gibbous.

>> Yes.

That's right.

In the legal and business world, the abbreviation LLC.

Stands for what?

Pioneer Valley.

>> Language learning center.

>> I'm sorry.

That is incorrect.

Turners falls, can you answer?

>> Legally licensed company.

>> Good guess.

The correct answer is limited liability company.

And that marks the end of our challenge round.

Let's take a minute now to meet the team from Turners Falls High School.

>> Hi, I'm McKenzie Gaudet from Westfield State University.

We asked the team from Turners Falls what's one trend or slang term you think should disappear forever?

>> I think we need to get rid of the term situationship.

It describes a completely unreal situation.

>> I think a trend that should disappear forever is the Tide Pod challenge.

Because we should not eat tide pods.

>> I would get rid of all short form videos, Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube shorts, just all of it.

Nothing good has come from it.

>> Time now for the first lightning round of the match.

Each team will have a chance to buzz in and answer questions for five points each.

Buzz in answer correctly.

You win five points.

Answer incorrectly.

Your team loses five points.

Will we hope that you'll learn something new in this round?

Each answer is a word that contains the letter sequence E somewhere in it, as in the word learn.

You have 90s starting right now.

There are 12 months in one Pioneer Valley.

>> Year.

>> Year is correct to make money through work.

Pioneer Valley.

>> Earn.

>> Earn is correct.

Polar, grizzly and Kodiak are examples.

Turner's father.

Yes.

That's right.

They run down your cheek when you cry.

Pioneer Valley.

Tear tears is right to look for lost something.

Pioneer Valley search.

Search is right.

Hair growth on one's chin.

Turner beard is correct.

It's our home planet.

Pioneer Valley.

Earth.

Earth is correct.

Another name for a shoe.

Pioneer Valley.

Footgear or footwear is the right answer.

It pumps blood in your body.

Turners falls.

Heart is correct.

The organ used for hearing.

Pioneer Valley.

>> Ear.

>> Ear is right to suddenly become visible to someone.

Turners falls.

>> Appear.

>> Appear is right to remove fleece from a sheep.

>> Turners falls.

Shear.

>> Shear is correct.

Necklace.

Gem grown in the shells of some mollusks.

Pioneer Valley.

>> Pearl.

>> Pearl is right.

Another term for closest.

>> Nearest.

>> Nearest is right within enough distance to be heard.

Turners Falls.

Earshot is the right answer there to cause to become beloved or admired.

Pioneer Valley.

>> Dear.

>> And dear, is the right answer.

To be very tired.

Weary or bleary.

Insert a device to block noise.

Ah.

Correct answer is earplug.

However, that bell marks the end of our first lightning round.

We have a really close match going on right now, so let's move on to the capitalization round.

That's where teams get the chance to pick a category and a point value.

They'll need to answer a qualifying question first before they can continue on for points.

Now, if they fail to answer that qualifying question correctly, their opponents will have the opportunity to capitalize and get those points at the moment.

Turners falls, you are behind also means you are the first to pick a category and a point value.

What's it going to be?

>> Math and science for 30.

>> Going for it with math and science for 30.

We have a video qualifier.

Please take a look at your screens.

>> Hi, I'm Lauren Larson, a physicist here at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, with your qualifying question.

The Large Hadron Collider here at CERN first started up in 2008.

It consists of a 27 kilometer ring of superconducting magnets and technology that boosts the energy of the particles along the way.

To qualify, the Large Hadron Collider is an example of what kind of machine.

>> It's what kind of machine?

>> It's a super cool.

>> I'm sorry.

Time is up.

Alright.

Pioneer Valley, can you capitalize?

Correct answer.

Particle accelerator art.

Pioneer Valley, your turn.

First time of the evening to please pick a category and a point value.

>> Um, we'll take arts and entertainment for 30, please.

>> Arts and entertainment for 30.

Your qualifying question.

Take a look at your screens.

In 1975, Steven Spielberg established his place as an elite film director with this thriller.

Name the film.

>> Jaws.

>> Jaws.

Yes, that is correct.

More about various creepy creatures at the heart of classic films for ten points each.

Take a look at your screen once again.

First.

Starting in 1954, there have been no less than 38 films featuring this fire breathing creature named The Creature.

>> Godzilla.

>> Godzilla.

Yes!

That's right, this giant ape is the star of 13 movies, beginning way back in 1933.

Its most recent film in 2024 also featured Godzilla.

Name this creature.

>> King Kong.

>> King Kong is correct.

And finally, in 1931, Bela Lugosi was the first of many film actors to portray this vampire, which was based on the 1897 novel by Bram Stoker named The Vampire.

>> Dracula.

>> Dracula.

Yes.

That's correct.

Right.

Turners falls once again.

Your turn.

>> Math and science for 25.

>> Math and science for 25.

Your qualifying question.

Grab your pens and paper and listen very carefully.

The measure of a certain angle is 46 degrees, 14 minutes.

What is the measure of its supplement?

I'm sorry.

Time is up.

Our pioneer valley.

Can you capitalize?

Head scratcher on this one.

133 degrees, 46 minutes is the right answer.

All right, pioneer Valley, once again, your turn.

>> General knowledge for 30, please.

>> General knowledge for 30.

To qualify, you have picked the Westfield State University entrance exam.

Question.

Answer the qualifier in all the category questions correctly.

Your team wins an additional ten points.

Good luck.

All right.

Listen very carefully to this one.

On Tuesday, I have to travel to Chattanooga on business to qualify.

Please spell the word Chattanooga as it's used in that sentence.

>> C h a t t e o g a.

>> I'm sorry.

That is incorrect.

Harry Turners falls, can you capitalize?

>> A G. >> Yes.

That's correct.

Let's move on.

If you're planning a trip to any of these American cities, you ought to be able to spell the name of the city for ten points each.

First, Shreveport is a city in Louisiana.

Spell.

Shreveport.

>> S h I s p o r t. >> I'm sorry.

That is incorrect.

All right.

Tuscaloosa is a city in Alabama spelled Tuscaloosa.

>> T u a l s.a. >> Yes.

That's right.

And finally, Binghamton is a city in New York state.

>> Spell Binghamton b I n g h a m t o n. >> Yes, that is correct.

All right.

Turners falls once again.

Your turn.

>> 31 for 30.

One.

>> World events are 30.

>> World events for 30.

Here's your qualifying question.

Take a look at your screens.

January 1st, 2000 marked the beginning of the last year of which common era?

Millennium.

The first.

Second or third.

>> Second.

>> Second.

>> Second.

Yes.

That's right.

Moving on.

Events from the year 2000 for ten points each, take a look at your screen.

First in the Russian election of March 26th, 2000, who was elected to his first term as president?

>> Vladimir Putin?

>> Yes.

That's right.

On May 13th, 2000, the Millennium Force, the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world at that time, opened at Cedar Point Amusement Park.

In what U.S. state?

>> Ohio?

>> Yes, Ohio is right.

And finally, on October 31st, 2000, Soyuz TM 31 was launched in Russia, carrying the first residential crew to what object in Earth's orbit.

>> International Space Station.

>> Yes.

That's right.

Very nice.

Pioneer Valley once again.

Your turn.

>> Uh, literature for 30.

>> Literature for 30.

Here's your qualifying question.

Published in 1949, the dystopian novel 1984 is a cautionary tale written by what, English writer George Orwell.

Yes.

That's right.

Moving on.

Complete the name of the following novels that have numbers in their titles for ten points each.

First published by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1851.

The House of blank.

Blank.

>> Um.

The House of usher.

>> House of Seven Gables is the right answer.

Let's try this.

Published by Kurt Vonnegut in 1969.

Slaughterhouse.

>> Blank 351.

>> Slaughterhouse five.

Just five is the right answer there.

Finally, let's do this one.

Published in book form in 1872 by Jules Verne.

Blank, blank.

Leagues under the Sea.

>> 20,000 leagues under the sea?

>> Yes.

That's correct.

Nice.

Turners falls once again.

Pick a category and a point.

>> Value social studies for 30.

>> Social studies for 30.

Here's your qualifying question.

Take a look at your screen.

Name.

The US state and its capital city that you see.

>> Is obviously.

>> Indianapolis, Illinois.

>> I'm sorry, that is incorrect.

Pioneer Valley can you capitalize Illinois Springfield.

Yes that's right.

Let's see how well you know the shape of other US states and what their capital cities are for ten points each.

Take a look at your screen.

Once again.

First name this US state and its capital city.

>> North Dakota.

Bismarck.

>> Correct answer.

Iowa.

Des Moines.

Next one.

>> Kentucky.

Frankfort.

>> Yes.

That's right.

And finally, name this US state and its capital city.

>> Michigan.

Michigan.

>> Michigan.

Lansing.

>> Yes.

Correct.

Nice.

All right, pioneer Valley once again.

Your turn.

>> Um.

>> Arts and entertainment for 25, please.

>> Arts and entertainment for 25.

Your qualifying question.

Take a look at your screens at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony in 2019.

This artist won best pop performance with the song Joanne.

Where do you think you're going?

Name the artist.

>> Dua Lipa.

>> I'm sorry, that is incorrect.

All right.

Turners falls, can you capitalize?

Lady Gaga is the right answer.

Turners falls once again, pick a category and a point value.

>> World events for 25.

>> World events for 25.

Your qualifying question.

Which of these historical figures lived most recently?

Charles Darwin.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton or Sojourner Truth?

>> Uh.

>> I'm sorry.

Time is up.

Pioneer Valley, can you capitalize?

>> Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

>> Yes.

1815 to 1902.

Let's move on.

We'll call this category.

A year in the life.

I'll name an historical figure.

You give me any one year in the lifetime of that individual.

This is for five points each.

Take a look at your screen.

Here's the first one.

Former first lady Dolley Madison.

>> Okay.

>> Um.

1830.

>> Yes.

1768 to 1849.

Let's try this.

Founding U.S. statesman Benjamin Franklin.

>> 1776.

>> Yes.

1706 to 1790.

How about American abolitionist Frederick Douglass?

>> 1860?

>> Yes.

1818 to 1895.

All right.

Try this one.

Accused Salem.

Witchcraft victim Bridget Bishop.

>> 1654.

>> Yes.

1632 to 1692.

All right.

Finally.

Civil rights activist Rosa Parks.

>> No.

1952.

>> 1913 to 2005.

Very nice job.

Clean sweep on that one.

All right, Pioneer Valley once again.

Your turn.

>> Oh, yeah.

>> Um, general.

General knowledge 25.

>> General knowledge for 25 to qualify.

What do each of the following items have in common?

Riboflavin, niacin and B12.

>> Vitamins.

>> Vitamins?

Yes.

Let's move on.

I'll give you more items.

You tell me what they all have in common for five points each.

First catamaran.

Dinghy.

Kayak.

>> Boats.

>> Boats.

Yes.

Ranch.

Colonial.

>> Victorian house.

Property.

>> House.

Yes.

Houses is the correct answer.

Schnauzer.

Bull.

Terrier.

Boxer.

>> Dog breed.

>> Yes.

That's correct.

Sedan.

Coupe.

>> Crossover car.

Models.

>> Yes.

Cars is correct.

And finally.

Orzo.

Rotini Any.

>> Pasta?

>> Yes.

Pasta is correct.

And that marks the end of our capitalization round.

Let's take a minute now to meet the team from Pioneer Valley Regional School.

>> Hi, I'm McKenzie Gaudet from Westfield State University.

We asked the team from Pioneer Valley, would you rather have no homework or no tests for the rest of high school?

>> For the rest of high school?

I think I'd rather have no more tests.

They're just kind of like, superfluous, you know.

>> I'd rather have no more tests, because I feel like a lot of tests depend on your teacher.

You can get, like, some superfluous gotcha questions, and that's really annoying.

>> I think for the rest of high school, I'd rather have no tests, because oftentimes they're just kind of superfluous.

>> Um, I'd rather have no tests.

They tend to just be superfluous and unnecessary.

>> Moving on now to the final lightning round of the match.

Each team will have a chance to buzz in and answer questions for five points each.

Buzz in and answer correctly.

You win five points.

Answer incorrectly.

You know what happens.

Your team loses five points.

Well, this will be a colorful round.

The answers to each fill in the blank clue will be the name of a color.

You have 90s starting right now.

Once in a blank moon Turner's false blue.

Stop telling those blank lies.

Turner's falls.

White.

Yes!

The golf ball landed on the putting blank.

Pioneer Valley.

>> Green.

>> Green is correct.

I'm so happy.

I'm tickled.

Blank.

Turners falls.

>> Pink.

>> Pink is right.

Even dark clouds have a blank lining.

Turners falls.

>> Silver.

>> Silver is correct.

Follow the blank brick road.

Pioneer Valley.

>> Yellow.

>> Yellow is correct.

That pay raise just came out of the blank.

Pioneer Valley.

>> Blue.

>> Blue is correct.

Spending too much puts us in the blank.

Turners falls.

>> Red.

>> Red is correct.

Those slackers got blank slips and had to leave Turners Falls.

>> Pink.

>> Pink is correct.

Her garden proves she's got a blank thumb.

Pineapple.

Green is correct.

I felt so dizzy I thought I would blank out.

Turners falls.

>> Black.

>> Black is correct.

Factory work is considered a blank collar job.

Pine Valley.

>> Blue.

>> Blue is correct.

That thief was caught blank handed.

Pioneer Valley.

>> Red.

>> Red is correct.

We just got the blank light to continue.

Pioneer Valley.

>> Green.

>> Green is right.

That TV star always gets the blank carpet treatment.

Pioneer Valley.

>> Red.

>> Red is right.

You can buy cheap watches on the blank market.

Turners falls.

>> Black.

>> Black is correct.

There is no word that rhymes with blank.

>> Turners falls.

>> Orange.

>> Orange is correct.

I'm not sure it's such a blank area.

Pioneer Valley.

>> Gray.

>> Did they get that under the buzzer?

Yes.

Gray is correct.

However, that bell marks the end of our last lightning round.

It also marks the end of our match.

We had a great match up tonight.

I want to say Turners Falls.

Congrats to you.

Job well done.

You were hanging in there.

However, Pioneer Valley you were just on a roll tonight.

So congratulations to you on being the winners of this evening's matchup.

To see the season's roster and for more information, be sure to log on to our webpage at npr.org.

Or you can look for us on Facebook and Instagram.

And programming note next week marks our final regular season matchup, so be sure to stay tuned for that.

I'm your host, Beth Ward.

Good night, and be sure to tune in again next time.

As schools match wits.

>> The members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association are working together to ensure that all students have the resources they need to succeed.

The MTA 180 years of commitment to the public, schools and colleges our communities deserve.

>> To excel is to recognize that you want to continue to grow and transform and evolve into a better person.

Westfield State is a fit for me because it's a campus that's big enough to host a community in which I can get to know different kinds of people.

>> The impact I want to leave at Westfield State is to be a leader, to get involved.

Each person has their own excellence.

>> Hold on.

I drop this beat.

Like.

Drop like that.

>> Do you want to see when your school's match is scheduled?

Want to know who the past ASM champions are?

Have a question you'd like to see us ask?

Then log on to the As Schools Match Wits web page at npr.org.

You can see this season's roster, a listing of past ASM champions, and even submit a question of your own, which may be used in a future episode.

It's all just a mouse click away.