This week on Granite State Challenge, the Bulldogs of Bedford High School... take on the Sabers of Souhegan High School.

Only one team will advance.

Granite State Challenge starts now.

Major funding for the production of Granite State Challenge is provided by Unitil.

Additional funding provided by Safety Insurance, NEA New Hampshire, and viewers like you.

Thank you!

Get ready.

It's time for New Hampshire high schools to match wits in a high-stakes scholastic showdown.

It's time for Granite State Challenge!

Here's your host, Jon Cannon!

Hello, everyone, and welcome to Granite State Challenge.

We kicked off our 44th season last week.

Nashua South got the win, and one of the two teams that we have with you this week are going to face them in the second round.

Let's see who that's going to be.

First up, we have the team from Bedford High School.

I'm Matt.

I'm a sophomore.

I'm Alina.

I'm a junior.

I'm Sam.

I'm a freshman.

I'm Sumedh, and I'm a sophomore.

The alternates for the team are Tabitha, Samantha, and Victoria.

And the team is coached by Destination Imagination coordinator Kelly Chausovsky and parent Sherry Arp.

And they are the Bulldogs of Bedford High School.

Their opponent this week is the team from Souhegan High School.

I'm Rhys, and I'm a junior.

I'm Harrison.

I'm a sophomore.

I'm Sam.

I'm a senior.

I'm Gideon.

I'm a junior.

Their alternates are Aaron, Alex, and Roman.

And the team is coached by American studies teacher Nicholas Drinkwater.

And they're the Sabers of Souhegan High School.

Those are our teams this week.

But, of course, we would be remiss if we did not also introduce our beloved judge back with us again, on the Ann Cam is Ann Boulanger!

[applause] All right, teams, introductions are out of the way.

Go ahead and grab those signaling devices.

We're going to jump right into round one of Granite State Challenge.

As you know, we play ten-point toss-up questions in round one.

So, Bedford and Souhegan, good luck.

Here we go.

At over 125,000 miles, this country has the largest coastline.

Matthew of Bedford.

Canada... Is right.

This element's symbol is Na .

It is taken from the Latin word natrium.

Sumedh of Bedford.

Sodium.

Yes.

This Portuguese soccer forward is nicknamed CR7.

Rhys of Souhegan.

Ronaldo.

Ronaldo is right.

This war for control of ancient Greece was fought between Athens and Sparta and lasted from 431 to 404 BC.

Matthew of Bedford.

Peloponnesian War.

Correct.

James Stewart played retired detective John Scottie Ferguson in the 1958 Alfred Hitchcock movie Vertigo.

In the film, he has a severe case of acrophobia.

What is acrophobia?

Harrison of Souhegan.

A fear of spiders.

Sorry, no.

Bedford.

Alina?

The fear of heights.

The fear of heights is correct.

Teams, what is the scientific name for humans?

Matthew of Bedford.

Homo erectus.

Sorry, no.

Souhegan.

Rhys?

Homo sapiens.

That's right.

It is not the least bit funny when you hit the ulnar nerve which rests against this bone.

Rhys of Souhegan.

The humerus.

Yes.

Bugs Bunny is known for the phrase What's up, Doc?

Which cartoon character is known for the phrase That's all, folks.

Rhys of Souhegan.

Porky Pig.

Yes.

This work by Miguel de Cervantes is one of the first modern novels.

Alina of Bedford.

Don Quixote.

Correct.

All right, teams, it is time for our Semiquincentennial question.

This is a 25-point question celebrating America's 250th anniversary coming to you on your monitors.

Take a look.

Hello.

I'm author and teacher John Herman, and I've got a question for you.

This 47-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine ends with the words, Let the names of Whig and Tory be extinct; and let none other be heard among us, than those of a good citizen, an open and resolute friend, and a virtuous supporter of the rights of mankind, and of the free and independent states of America.

Alina of Bedford.

Common Sense.

Common Sense is the name of that pamphlet, yes.

Thank you, John Herman.

All right.

Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, and Pachelbel's Canon in D are all examples of this ornate style of classical music.

Matthew of Bedford.

Baroque.

Correct.

This 121-mile long canal connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red sea.

Harrison of Souhegan.

The Suez Canal.

Yes.

This 2011 novel features a society divided into five factions Abnegation, Dauntless, Erudite, Amity, and Candor.

Alina of Bedford.

Divergent.

Yes.

On July 26th, 2016, she became the first woman nominated as the US presidential candidate of a major political party.

Alina of Bedford.

Hillary Clinton.

Yes.

This structure surrounds and protects the cell and controls what enters and leaves.

Matthew of Bedford.

The membrane Yes.

The cell membrane is right.

In 1809, General John Stark sent a written toast when he was unable to attend a reunion for the combatants of this battle.

Matthew of Bedford.

Yorktown.

Sorry, no.

Souhegan?

It was the Battle of Bennington.

All right, teams.

In 1992, this West Coast rapper, producer, and founder of Death Row Records released the album The Chronic.

Matthew of Bedford.

Dr.

Dre.

Yes.

All right, teams.

What are you finding the volume of if you are using the formula Pi x Radius Squared x Height?

Matthew of Bedford.

A cylinder.

That's right.

This revolution began with the convening of the Estates General in 1789.

Matthew of Bedford.

The French Revolution.

Yes.

Iago, Cassio, and Desdemona are all characters in this Shakespearean play that shares its name with a board game.

Alina of Bedford.

Othello.

Yes.

All right, teams, go ahead and take a look at your monitor for the next question.

This is the only venomous snake species native to New Hampshire.

It is endangered in the state, with only one known population.

Matthew of Bedford.

The timber rattlesnake.

It is the timber rattlesnake.

Yes.

All right, teams, this European country is famous for remaining neutral during both World Wars and also for its multi-functional army knives.

Rhys of Souhegan.

Switzerland.

Yes.

This could be an online video game released in 2017 or, with slightly different spelling, a term for 14 days.

Harrison of Souhegan.

Fortnite/Fortnight.

Yes.

All right, teams, it's time for our Unitil Power Question.

This is a 20-point toss-up question coming to you on your monitors.

Take a look.

Hi, I'm Amanda Vicinanzo with Unitil, And here's your Power Question.

This 1971 song by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band advocated for power to this group.

Matthew of Bedford.

Imagine.

Sorry, nope.

Souhegan.

Harrison.

To the people.

Power to the People is right.

Moosehead Lake in Maine is the largest lake found entirely in New England.

What is the second largest lake found entirely in New England?

Who made of Bedford?

Lake Winnipesaukee.

That is right.

All right.

And that sound ends the game.

And it was a fast-paced round, but Bedford out to a bit of a lead.

[applause] Great start, teams.

Hate to take a break in the action, but we're going to do just that between rounds one and round two and get to know our players a little bit.

We're going to start with the team from Bedford High School.

Bedford High School, of course, located in Bedford, New Hampshire, with a student population of just under 1,500 students.

And of those students, this team includes Sumedh.

Hi, Sumedh.

So, we talked a little bit before about a science project that you and a friend are working on.

Tell us about it.

Yeah.

So, me and my friend, we decided to start a kind of science project and experiment researching data centers’ water usage and its effect on the environment.

Gotcha.

So, these are AI data centers or large language model data centers?

Yes, exactly.

Yes.

And they use water for what purpose?

So, from our research, they use a lot of water to cool down the servers.

So, they use the water and then bring back its heated form.

And, a lot of the times, we learned that they just dump it into the environment.

So, we're really curious to see how it impacts the environment.

Yeah.

It's good to know that information.

It's an emerging problem.

So, awesome project.

All right.

Sam is a member of the team, a bit of a collector.

What do you collect, Sam?

I collect baseball cards.

Okay, so how did you start collecting baseball cards?

Well, my dad bought me a pack, and I've loved them ever since.

Ever since, okay.

Do you have a favorite card in your collection?

I have a card from 1934 of Lou Gehrig.

Okay.

Lou Gehrig.

1934 card.

Do you know how much it's worth?

Is it worth a lot?

Yeah.

Okay!

All right, we won't say how much it's worth because we don't need people showing up asking about it.

But very, very cool.

Awesome.

All right.

Alina is a hiker.

I am.

And we've heard of people hiking the 4,000-footers, but you're doing a different group of mountains.

What is it?

Yes, I am.

So, the 52 with a View is supposed to be the 52 mountains under 4,000 ft with the best views in all of New Hampshire.

Okay.

How many have you got so far?

So far, I've done 41.

That's over the past, like, 11 years because I have a pretty busy summer schedule, but hopefully I get to all 52 by the time I go to college.

So, two more summers left.

I think you can probably do that.

Yeah.

I hope so.

Excellent.

All right.

And team captain Matt, a geographer of sorts.

Not just a Granite State Challenge competitor, but also in what other event?

The National Geography Bee.

So, you went all the way to the National Geography Bee.

Where was that held?

D.C.

Okay.

So, you went to the National Geography Bee in D.C.

representing New Hampshire or representing just yourself?

I was sort of just representing myself, but, in a way, was representing New Hampshire.

All right.

How well did you do.

I got sixth place overall.

I made it to the finals.

Sixth place in the whole country?

Yes.

Fantastic.

And very.

For my age division, though.

Oh, but still.

But still.

And are you gonna go back this year?

Yeah.

Planning to.

Excellent.

All right.

Well, good luck.

And that is your team from Bedford High School.

[applause] All right.

We're going to move our way down to the team from Souhegan High School.

Souhegan is located in the town of Amherst but also serves the town of Mont Vernon.

About 750 students.

And of that number, we have a team starting with Gideon.

All right.

So, we have a collector down there in Bedford.

We got a collector right here.

What is it that you collect?

Coins.

Coins!

Okay.

So, like monetary coins?

Yeah, real money.

Yes.

Okay.

How did that start?

Well, my grandma got me a silver dollar from 1889, and from then on, it always was interesting.

In the past two years, I've really gotten into it.

Okay.

Very cool.

Do you have, like, a highlight of your collection?

I do, yes.

I have a two-cent piece that was minted in 1865.

Wow.

So, okay.

We don’t even have two-cent pieces anymore.

We don’t even have one-cent pieces anymore either.

So, you could literally give someone your two cents.

I'd rather keep mine, but yeah.

Very good.

I would rather you keep it as well.

All right.

Joining him is Sam, who started a new team at Souhegan.

Yeah, I joined the diving team.

Okay!

The diving team.

So, a lot of schools have swimming teams, but I'm not familiar with a lot having a diving team.

How did that happen?

So, I talked to the swim coaches we do have a swim team and we just kind of got it to work out.

Okay.

Very good.

And are you working on a specific dive right now?

Yeah, I want to learn a double front flip by the end of the year.

A double front flip.

And how high are we talking that you’re diving from?

A 1-meter board.

Okay, so that's a lot of flipping in a very small amount of space.

Yeah.

Very good.

All right.

Another athlete on the team over here, Harrison, a three-sport athlete.

What three sports do you play?

Football, wrestling, lacrosse.

Okay.

Football, wrestling, lacrosse.

And of those three, is there one that you like most?

I’d say I like lacrosse.

Lacrosse, okay.

What position do you play in lacrosse?

I play goalie.

How did you become the goalie?

Well, when I joined in middle school, I was only goalkeeper for my middle school team.

Then, when we went up to the high school, there was no goalkeeper.

Now, this year, we have three in total.

Awesome.

Very good, very good.

And hoping good things for the team this year?

Yes.

All right.

Excellent.

And lastly, another athlete.

A different kind of sport, a sport I'm familiar with.

What sport?

I do cross-country skiing.

Cross-country skiing.

Nordic skiing.

All right.

We had some early snow this winter, so you’ve been able to get on some snow.

How's the team looking?

It's looking really good.

We have a younger team this year.

A lot of really strong juniors and a lot of strong freshmen, and some sophomores.

Gotcha.

And what do you love about cross-country skiing?

It's just so beautiful to be skiing through the woods on the snow.

You know, it's just out in nature and you're gliding through, going so fast.

Yeah.

Sometimes it's hard to remember you're in a race because the scenery is so good here in New Hampshire, right?

So, I can relate to that.

That's Rhys, and this is the team from Souhegan High School!

[applause] All right.

Thank you, teams.

Thank you for the pause in the action.

We're going to get back into the game now and round two which is our three strikes and you're out round.

So, in this round, what we do is each team gets ten questions and we go player by player down the line.

We'll give you ten points for each correct response, and we'll keep going until all ten questions are asked or until three incorrect responses, or three strikes and you're out.

Just as a reminder, each team has three passes that you can use to pass to the teammate next to you, so always be paying attention to those questions.

And there's a bit of a clue for the next question in each previous question, okay?

So, we're going to do this alphabetically.

We'll start with Bedford.

And so Matthew, that means we're starting with you.

And this is your question.

This work by long-time Cornish, New Hampshire, resident J.D.

Salinger features the character Holden Caulfield.

Catcher in the Rye.

Correct.

Alina.

This catcher for both the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox grew up in Charlestown, New Hampshire, and attended UNH.

It is Carlton Fisk.

Sam.

Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Carlton Banks on the sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel Air, is now the host of this dance competition show.

Dancing with the Stars.

Correct.

Sumedh.

This man was the original host of Dancing with the Stars and the original host of Granite State Challenge.

It was Tom Bergeron.

Matthew, back to you.

Jim Jeannotte was the second host of Granite State Challenge.

Who was the third host?

You.

It is me, Jon Cannon.

Yes.

Alina.

The Cannon Mountain ski area is located in this New Hampshire state park.

Franconia Notch.

Correct.

Sam.

Most of the western edge of Pinkham Notch is formed by this large mountain Cardigan.

Sorry, no.

It is Mt.

Washington.

And that is your third strike and ends the round.

[applause] All right.

Great job, Bedford.

Matthew, thank you for getting that question correct.

I appreciate it.

Souhegan, we're going to move on to you.

Same drill.

And Rhys, we’ll start with you.

This is your question.

This singer is known as the Queen of Soul and is known for the song Respect.

Aretha Franklin.

Correct.

Harrison.

While Benjamin Franklin is associated with Philadelphia, he was born and grew up in this New England city.

Boston.

Correct.

Sam.

From 1928 to 1995, the Boston Garden was home to the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins.

Both teams now play in this venue.

Pass.

Passed to Gideon.

TD garden.

The TD garden is right.

Rhys, back to you.

Known as the Garden State, this state's motto is Liberty and Prosperity.

New Jersey.

Correct.

Harrison.

This singer-songwriter's first studio album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., was released in 1973 and included the song Blinded by the Light.

Pass.

Passed to Sam.

Sorry, Sam.

It is Bruce Springsteen.

Gideon, to you.

When physicist Dr.

Bruce Banner is angered, he turns into this character.

The Hulk.

Correct.

Rhys.

The Hulk was created by artist Jack Kirby and this man who also created the X-Men.

Stan Lee.

Yes.

Harrison.

Stanford University was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford in memory of his son.

Stanford also served as governor and senator of this state where Stanford is located.

California.

Yes.

Sam.

California Dreaming was a huge hit for this group with a parental sounding name.

Pass.

Passed to Gideon.

Abba.

It is The Mamas & the Papas.

And back to Rhys.

Papa Smurf, the patriarch of the Smurfs, has a red hat, a white beard, and this color skin.

Blue.

Blue skin.

And that is your 10th question, making it to the end of your three strikes round.

[applause] All right.

Very good.

Things tightening up after round two.

But now, we're going to go into round three, our 60-second round.

I’d like to invite two alternates from each team to come on up and join their teams at the podiums.

[applause] In the 60-second round, each team can work together as a team as they answer ten questions in a category.

We'll give you ten points for each correct response and a bonus of ten if you get all ten correct.

And as we like to do, we start with the team trailing, which is Souhegan.

And so, Rhys, you can talk to your team and choose from these three categories Gray Scale, Breakfast, and Egads.

Gray Scale, Breakfast, and Egads.

We’ll do Breakfast, please.

Breakfast.

Okay.

So, the answers to the following in this category will include the word break or breakfast.

Okay.

So Rhys, you can talk to your team.

I will take your answer as the team answer.

60 seconds.

Start the clock.

Many college students head to Florida during this period.

Spring break.

Correct.

Walter White was a chemistry teacher turned drug dealer Breaking Bad.

This became an Olympic event in the 2024 Olympics.

Breakdancing.

Yes.

This 1985 coming-of-age movie was about a group of high school students in Saturday The Breakfast Club.

Yes.

This could be a novel by Kurt Vonnegut and a slogan for a cereal.

It is the Breakfast of Champions.

In business, this is what you call it when profits are equal to costs.

Breaking even.

Yes.

In this song by Elvis Presley, the protagonist lives at the end of Lonely Street.

Heartbreak Hotel.

Correct.

This is what new information about an event is often called.

Breaking news.

Yes.

Audrey Hepburn played Holly Golightly in this movie.

Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Correct.

And this phrase could mean sharing a meal or it could refer to the Eucharist.

Breaking bread is correct.

A strong round.

We’ll add it up.

Nine out of ten on your 60-second round!

[applause] All right, Bedford, you have your work cut out for you, but you can do it with the remaining categories of Gray Scale or Egads.

Gray Scale.

Okay, so the answers to all of the following will include the word gray.

So, Matthew, you can talk to your team.

I'll take your answer as the team answer.

60 seconds.

Start the clock.

This medical drama is set in Seattle.

Grey’s Anatomy.

Yes.

This large canine species is native to Eurasia and North America.

Gray wolf.

Correct.

This range of shades from whites to black is used in monochrome displays.

Gray.

Think about that, judge.

This could be a breed of fast dogs or a bus line.

Greyhound.

Yes.

This bird species is known as the camp robber in Canada jay.

Gray bird.

It is the Gray Jay.

The troops of the Confederacy and the Union are often called this.

The Blue and Gray.

Correct.

In this novel by Oscar Wilde, a man sells his soul for eternal youth.

The Picture of Green Day.

Dorian Gray!

Dorian Gray.

Dorian Gray.

We will give you that.

This American writer known for his stories about the old West.

Chuck Gray.

It is Zane Grey.

This rodent has a bushy tail, like nuts, and is found in New Hampshire.

Gray squirrel?

Yes.

This marsupial is found in the eastern third of Australia and has a red cousin.

Gray koala.

It is the grey kangaroo we were looking for.

Seven out of ten on your 60-second round.

[applause] So, things tightening up just a bit.

Thank you, alternates.

You can go ahead and resume your seats as we get ready for round four.

In round four, we're going to pick back up with our toss-up questions, but we're going to double the point value to 20 points and we will be deducting 20 points for incorrect responses.

So, a tight game, Bedford and Souhegan.

Play smart.

Here we go.

And, in fact, our first question is a video question coming to you on your monitors.

Take a look.

Hello.

I'm New Hampshire resident Jack Dalton, and you may know me as the Kid Conservationist.

I have a passion for this great ape, which lives in Borneo and Sumatra.

Borneo and Sumatra are threatened by habitat loss.

Matthew of Bedford.

Orangutan.

Correct.

Francis Ford Coppola directed the movie version of this coming-of-age novel by S.E.

Hinton, starring Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, and Tom Cruise.

Harrison of Souhegan.

The Outsiders.

Correct.

Photosynthesis, evaporating liquids, and melting ice are examples of this type of reaction that absorbs energy from its surroundings.

Rhys of Souhegan.

Endothermic reaction.

Correct.

This actor who played mathematician and chaos theory expert Dr.

Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park, played the wizard in the movies Wicked and Wicked for Good.

Alina of Bedford.

Jeff Goldblum.

Yes.

All right, teams, go ahead and take a look at your monitors for this next question.

You are looking at a painting by artist Childe Hassam of this poet and writer in her garden on Appledore Island in the Isles of Shoals.

That poet's name was Celia Thaxter.

All right, teams.

Spanning at least 1,486 years, this country has the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world.

Sam of Bedford.

Britain.

Sorry, no.

Souhegan.

Gideon?

Japan.

Japan is right.

What is the primary language introduced to Brazil by European colonizers?

Matthew of Bedford.

Portuguese.

That's right.

This is the third brightest natural object in the sky after the sun and the moon, and is often referred to as the morning star.

Matthew of Bedford.

Alpha Centauri.

Sorry, no.

Souhegan.

Gideon.

Sirius.

Sorry, nope.

It is the planet Venus.

All right, teams, a math question for you.

You have pen and paper with you.

what is the sum of the interior angles of a pentagon?

Rhys of Souhegan.

540.

That is right.

This Australian state is an island and is famous for its devils.

Matthew of Bedford.

Tasmania.

Yes.

Where will you find the stapes, the smallest bone in the ear.

Matthew of Bedford.

The eardrum.

Sorry, I gave the answer to that question.

We're gonna throw that out.

The chemical symbol for this silvery white metal found in the filament of some light bulbs is W , taken from the German word for wolfram.

Alina of Bedford.

Tungsten.

Correct.

Teams, in what New Hampshire county will you find Mount Washington?

Matthew of Bedford.

Grafton.

Sorry, no.

Souhegan?

All right.

It’s Coos.

We're going to skip the next question.

In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the protagonist is fireman Guy Montag... We did not get to the end of that question, and by the narrowest of margins, Bedford will be moving on by a score of 325 to 320.

Wooh!

What a game!

Bedford, congratulations on your victory.

We'll see you in a few weeks when you take on Nashua South.

Souhegan, tough loss to a good team A close match.

A great match.

I know I had fun watching it, and we hope you had fun watching it at home as well.

That'll do it for us this week.

And as I like to say, I learned something, and I hope you did as well.

We'll see you next time.

Major funding for the production of Granite State Challenge is provided by Unitil.

Additional funding provided by Safety Insurance, NEA New Hampshire, and viewers like you.

Thank you!