Written quiz on October 20 will determine top 14 schools to advance to the televised academic competition or participate in non-televised tournament with author Jeff Kinney

BOSTON (September 30, 2019) – Boston public media producer WGBH is inviting all Massachusetts high schools to participate in the Super Sunday qualifying event for High School Quiz Show® on October 20 at its studios in Brighton, MA. Now in its 11th season, High School Quiz Show is WGBH’s televised academic competition for Massachusetts high school students, hosted by media personality Billy Costa.

“Education is at the very heart of public media and at WGBH we’re excited to create experiences that challenge students and allow them to demonstrate their knowledge,” said Jon Abbott, president and CEO of WGBH. “High School Quiz Show is a way to shine a spotlight on the accomplishments of students from across the Commonwealth. We are looking forward to the 11th season!”

On Super Sunday, teams of four students will take an identical written quiz that covers a range of subjects, from literature and science to math, history and culture. The top scoring 14 teams will advance to compete on High School Quiz Show.

The qualification process for High School Quiz Show is changing this season and teams will now have more than one way to qualify to be on the program. Teams that are not among the 14 top scoring teams that have secured a spot on the televised competition now have an alternative means of making their way into the bracket.

  • Eight teams will be selected to vie for a 15th spot on the broadcast by participating in High School Quiz Show: Extra Credit on Sunday, October 27. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” author Jeff Kinney will host this non-televised academic tournament at his Plainville, MA bookstore, An Unlikely Story. The winner of High School Quiz Show: Extra Credit will move on to High School Quiz Show as the 15th seed.
  • The 16th and final spot on the broadcast will be filled on the season premiere on Saturday, February 1 at 6pm on WGBH 2 when the top two highest scoring teams from Super Sunday that have not participated in the High School Quiz Show broadcast competition or have not been on the show in the past five years will go head-to-head for the wild card spot on the show.

“Super Sunday is so much more than a quiz. It’s an opportunity to meet likeminded students from across the Commonwealth and to celebrate the fun in knowledge,” said WGBH Executive Producer and Director of Youth Media Hillary Wells. “We’re excited about the changes we’ve made to the selection process this year and look forward to showcasing new schools in this year’s show.”

The deadline for schools to register for Super Sunday is Friday, October 11. Schools interested in participating can register online here: https://www.wgbh.org/quiz-show/register

High School Quiz Show is endorsed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education and the Massachusetts PTA. Questions on the show are aligned with the Massachusetts high school curriculum standards in subjects that include literature, history, civics, science and math, as well as current events, and general knowledge. Major funding for High School Quiz Show is provided by Safety Insurance. Additional funding is provided by the Museum of Science, Massachusetts Teachers Association, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Comcast NBC Universal, Harvard Summer School Programs for High School Students and Subaru of New England.

For more information, visit highschoolquizshow.org or follow the show on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About WGBH
WGBH Boston is America’s preeminent public broadcaster and the largest producer of PBS content for TV and the Web, including Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, Nova, American Experience, Arthur and more than a dozen other primetime, lifestyle and children’s series. WGBH’s television channels include WGBH 2, WGBX 44, and the digital channels World and Create. WGBH TV productions focusing on the region’s diverse community include Greater Boston, Basic Black and High School Quiz Show. WGBH Radio serves listeners across New England with 89.7 WGBH, Boston’s Local NPR®; 99.5 WCRB Classical Radio Boston; and WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR® Station. WGBH also is a major source of digital content and programs for public radio through PRI/PRX, including The World and Innovation Hub, a leader in educational multimedia with PBS LearningMedia™, providing the nation’s educators with free, curriculum-based digital content, and a pioneer in services that make media accessible to deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired audiences. WGBH has been recognized with hundreds of honors: Emmys, Peabodys, duPont-Columbia Awards and Oscars. Find more information at wgbh.org.
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