Wells High School students to compete on Maine quiz program

Post date: Jan 27, 2017 11:51:54 AM

Six Wells High School students have been selected to form a team consisting of four players and two alternates to represent WHS on a new television quiz program created by Maine Public called “The High School Quiz Show: Maine”. The program will feature eight high school teams from around Maine in three levels of competition including a final championship round. Maine Public was formerly known as the Maine Public Broadcasting Network.

High schools wishing to send a team had to first qualify interested students. This was done with a preliminary test provided by Maine Public. Out of the 30 schools to take this qualifying test, only the eight highest scoring schools were selected to appear on the program.

WHS English teacher Ann Bechan was appointed to be the team’s coach. Bechan initially gathered together a group of students from various grade levels for the preliminary test. Now, with her team in place, Bechan is conducting practice sessions until the quarter-finals in March.

The idea to enter the contest was that of WOCSD volunteer, Lou Macellaro, who learned of the competition in the fall and presented the idea to Assistant Principal Josh Gould. “It is publicity for the school” said Macellaro who believes the competition is also good for the WHS student community. Macellaro believes students will watch the show when it is aired and participate in the excitement of the games “vicariously through television.”

The website mainepublic.org described the program as "…a televised academic quiz tournament set up in a single-elimination knockout format.” According to Maine Public’s David Boardman, the Education Program Coordinator for the Maine Education Project, this program is not like the popular Jeopardy show in that it “…is focused on academics - anything typically covered in school, as well as general information about Maine. It's more the academic quiz-style show with questions posed directly to each competing team.”

Maine Public’s website states there will be four preliminary rounds or quarterfinals, two semifinals followed by the final round or championship game. The taping day for the quarterfinal session that WHS will face off with Oak Hill High School in will be held on March 25th at Maine Public's Ladd Studio in Lewiston. If they succeed in that round they will move on to the semifinals later that day. The championship round will take place April 8th in Lewiston.

The winning team will take home a trophy, individual certificates plus $1,000 for its school’s Project Graduation or something similar with the runner-up team receiving $500 for Project Graduation or similar. All of the 30-minute shows produced from this project will be aired on Maine Public Television at a date to be determined.

According to David Boardman, the following high schools are also participating in the new quiz show: Bonny Eagle High School in Standish, Falmouth High School, Marshwood High School in South Berwick, St. Dominic Academy in Auburn, Oak Hill High School in Wales, Cape Elizabeth High School, and Oxford Hills High School in South Paris. Alternate teams are: Brunswick High School, and Noble High Schools in Berwick.

In the back row (l to r) is Matthew Chase (Gr. 10), Channing Wang (Gr. 11), and Brendan Dean (Gr. 11). In the front row, (l to r) is Team Coach Ann Bechan, Katelyn Hurlburt (Gr. 12), Danielle Jarosz (Gr. 12), and Marisa Mizzoni (Gr. 12)