Yarmouth Clinches Championship Title in High School Quiz Show

The Clippers from Yarmouth High School are celebrating their first championship win in Maine Public's popular "High School Quiz Show: Maine" after beating a team from Bangor High School in Thursday's final showdown of the season.

With a score of 415 to 240, Yarmouth defeated Bangor to take home the school's $1,000 prize; Bangor received a $500 gift as runner-up.

Now in its 9th season, "High School Quiz Show: Maine" is a locally produced television game show that puts the state's brightest students from 16 schools to the ultimate test each year, challenging them with fast-paced questions spanning a variety of topics, including literature, history, science, mathematics, current events, and general knowledge.

Yarmouth improved on last season's runner-up finish by winning the championship in its fourth year on the show, which receives major sponsorship from Unitil - the largest provider of natural gas in Maine.

"We would like to congratulate the Clippers on their outstanding achievement this year. Capturing the championship title a year after their second-place finish really speaks to the perseverance and dedication of the team," said Unitil External Affairs Manager Amanda Vicinanzo. "The students on the Bangor team should also be proud of all that they accomplished this season. Both are veteran teams with impressive skills that showcase the depth of young talent within Maine."

Nick Woodward, director of Media Production Services at Maine Public and the show's executive producer, also praised the Yarmouth team for its success this season, especially in a final match-up with Bangor, which he described as the most experienced team on the show as its students have appeared every year since season 2 when they won the championship.

"Not only are the students dedicated, talented and enthusiastic when on the show, they also take it seriously. After all, this is an academic challenge and not a party trivia game. The teams that recognize that and prepare appropriately are the ones that make it to the final rounds," Woodward said. "A lot of it comes down to their teacher coaches who have supported their teams for years. It is their leadership and encouragement that brings their schools back year after year."

Yarmouth coach Sarah Wilson, a Yarmouth High School science teacher, commended the students on this year's championship victory.

"This year's team was composed of players who love learning for the sake of learning. They all had their own unique skill sets and interests that allowed our team to be prepared for questions on nearly any topic, though sports trivia continues to be a weakness. After a trip to the finals last year, the team had the confidence that they could make it again if they worked hard and buzzed quickly," she said.

While only six players compete on the show, Wilson said Yarmouth's club consistently has upwards of 10 people showing up each week for practice.

"The level of competitiveness they have with each other is high, so they are constantly working to improve their buzzing skills and increasing their confidence when answers in the head-to-head and lightning round require quick interruptions of the question. While the pressure is high, the team also knows this experience is about having fun, testing their knowledge, and doing their best as a team," she said.

Wilson added that Yarmouth schools and the community were proud of how the team performed this year.

"I might be the coach of the team, but each teacher they have had from kindergarten through 12th grade, their families and friends, as well as community mentors, have helped foster their love of learning. We are graduating two strong seniors this year, and next year's team will have a tough road to repeat this incredible feat. However, I have confidence that this win will fuel the drive of our younger players to prove they have what it takes to bring home the first place trophy, too," she said.

The Yarmouth players shared in the excitement of bringing home a championship win this season.

"It feels like a big accomplishment because our school's team almost got first place last year, and we were able to build on their success this year," James said.

Sebastian, another player, said it felt "amazing and rewarding" while his teammate, Crosby, called it "incredible."

"It is so cool and rewarding to see our hard work and practice sessions pay off, all while representing Yarmouth well," Crosby said.

Elise, another player, added, "Quiz Bowl is a pretty niche club, so getting positive attention drawn to us feels incredible and is super helpful for boosting membership. It's always funny to get congratulated by students and teachers who you wouldn't expect to be tuning in after an episode airs."

For the Yarmouth team, preparation is key. Elise said they gear up by watching many older Quiz Show episodes in order to practice buzzing in and knowing the rhythm of questions.

"Other than that, I personally don't do any specific studying. I just read a lot of news articles and pay attention to random facts and details that I pick up on in my day-to-day life," she said.

James emphasized the importance of paying attention in class and remembering details, especially when it comes to history.

Playing practice matches using questions from past years was also critical to the team's winning strategy. The game is full of challenges, but Elise said the hardest part is building group cohesion. "Having good team synergy is by far the most important contributor to success, but getting to the point where we can all tell what the others know takes a lot of time and repetition," she said.

The fear of giving an incorrect response is also real for those competing in the game.

"I think that the pressure of answering a question wrong is what makes these competitions difficult. Knowing that you could block your teammate from answering a question makes it more difficult to decide if you should buzz or not," James said.

For Crosby, nerves are the hardest part of the experience, he said, adding, "You have to stay calm and collected even when you miss a question or answer a big one."

Woodward said Maine Public is proud to showcase and celebrate the academic achievement of Maine's high school students through the quiz show.

"We have a long history of putting the spotlight on schools in different ways over the years, and this show is another example of that. In a way, it is perfect 'public television.' It is education wrapped in a fun package, and it happens to feature local students. Viewers can play along and cheer for their hometown schools. Plus, it is broadcast statewide and throughout Atlantic Canada and available around the world via streaming. We receive lots of supportive feedback and consider this to be one of our crown jewels of local productions," he said.

Woodward added, "It is also encouraging to have such supportive sponsors. Companies such as Unitil also recognize the importance of celebrating Maine's students and have helped make this show the success that it is. There may be thousands upon thousands of TV shows available for us to watch, but it is more important than ever to keep local issues, people, history, sports, science and the rest out there for Mainers and the world to enjoy."