This week on Granite State Challenge, the team from John Stark.

Regional High School takes on the team from Merrimack 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 NEA New Hampshire, Safety Insurance, The New Hampshire Lottery.

D.F.

Richard Energy, Cognia, HRCU.

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 the 41st season of Granite State Challenge.

We started with over 30 teams back in the fall.

We've narrowed the field down to 16 teams.

Two of them are here this week to do battle to see who's going to make it to the next round.

Let's introduce them to you.

First up, we have the team from John Stark Regional High School, and they are led by senior Captain Sophia, who is a soccer player.

Tell us about your soccer career.

How did you get started and how do you play?

Oh, I've been playing pretty much since as long as I can remember, since I was pretty young.

Usually play year round played around for a while.

So you play for John Stark, but you also play for a club team?

Yes.

Awesome.

What position do you play?

I play defensive midfielder.

Nice.

Excellent.

Sophia is joined by Junior Brody, who rows for the Concord Crew team.

How'd you get involved in that?

And how come you're on the Concord team?

Well, it's kind of a long story how I got involved.

Like a coworker, my mom.

But, like, I'm.

Because John Start doesn't have a crew team in Concord, like, a lot.

So the people from other schools play.

I'm able to row for them.

Nice.

And you meet a lot of other people from other schools, too.

Yes.

Fantastic.

All right.

He is joined by senior Ben who had a pretty good football season this year.

Yeah, we went four and five, which was a good record.

All right.

And what position do you play on the football team?

I'm a linebacker and I do special teams.

Oh, a special teams.

Fantastic.

Excellent.

And Ben is joined by Connor, a junior who has what I think is a really cool career aspiration.

Tell us about it.

I want to be an imagineer at Disney World and design roller coasters.

Nice.

And where did that come from for you?

I really like Disney World and I have been into engineering for a while now, so it kind of went together.

Nice.

Excellent.

Well, I hope to ride on one of your rides someday in the future.

The team alternates are juniors Eric and senior Jackie and the team is coached by Michelle Kirschbaum and they are the team from John Stark Regional High School.

All right.

Waiting to take them on is the team from Merrimack High School.

Let's introduce you to them.

They're led by senior Captain Jack and Jack.

You've had a long story with Granite State Challenge.

Tell us about it.

Yes.

This is my fourth and final year on Granite State challenge, so I wanted to take this opportunity to say it's been a great experience.

I made amazing friends and memories along the way, and I want to thank everyone who makes this possible and viewers like you.

Thank you.

I love it.

And we're glad that you were able to make some lifelong memories from.

Granite State challenge.

He is joined by Rainier, a senior in Rainier.

You are doing what?

I'm writing a book of book.

A novel?

Yep.

Oh, not just one novel.

Whole series of a whole series.

So how far along in that process are you right now?

I'm about halfway through the first drafts of the whole trilogy.

Oh, my goodness.

And you hope to get it published someday?

I hope so, too.

I hope to read it.

All right.

Rainier is joined by senior Aris and.

Aris.

What is your second favorite PBS show?

It has to be Dinosaur Train.

It was my favorite PBS show as a child because I was a PBS kid and I just love the music and the memories.

It's awesome as one PBS kids to another.

I think that's fantastic.

And Aris is joined by Alli, also a senior who taught herself how to do what over the pandemic.

I taught myself how to play electric bass.

Electric bass.

And how is it going for you?

Enjoying it?

I am enjoying it.

It's going pretty well.

Have you been able to play out or play with any musical groups?

Yeah, I got to play in the jazz band at the high school sophomore year.

Awesome.

Well keep it up.

It's a great instrument.

I love it.

So keep going with that.

The team is alternates are juniors.

Keyshawn and Liam and the team's coaches are Sarah Campbell and Sally Agle, and they are the team from Merrimack High School.

All right.

And just one more introduction, and that is, of course, our judge back with us for a 41st season is Ann Belanger.

All right.

Team's introductions are out of the way.

Grab those signaling devices because we are going to play Granite State challenge.

As you know, we play the game in four rounds and in round one we do ten point toss up.

Question So John Stark, Merrimack.

Good luck in here we go.

The Archipelagos, the Azores and Madeira are part of this European country.

Brody of John Stark.

Portugal.

That's right.

No matter how you pronounce the second syllable, this tasty treat from the Hickory family often made into pies is not a nut.

It is a fruit surrounded by a husk.

Jack of Merrimack.

Pecan.

Yes.

Or pecan, if you are so inclined.

Teams.

What man is described as being first in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen by General Henry Lee, Jack of Merrimack, George Washington.

When in doubt, you are correct, this demoted planet shares its name with a Disney dog, Alli of Merrimack.

Pluto.

That's right.

This Scottish economist is sometimes referred to as the father of economics and the father of capitalism.

Jack of Merrimack.

Smith.

Adam Smith is right.

Teams.

There are three extinct species of this animal, the Asian, the African bush and the African Forest Rainier of Merrimack.

Elephant.

That's right.

This 1996 Disney movie was based on an 1831 novel by French poet, novelist, essayist and playwright Victor Hugo, Aris of Merrimack, The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Correct.

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

You are looking at Jeannette Rankin, the first female member of Congress.

She was elected to represent this state in 1916 and 1940.

Rainier of Merrimack, Wyoming.

Sorry, no, John Stark Brody, Vermont.

Sorry.

No.

Both good guesses.

Montana was the correct response.

All right.

Teams.

Before he voiced the character Polynesian Demigod Maui in the movie.

Moana and appeared as Luke Hobbs in the Fast and Furious films.

Actor Dwayne Johnson was a professional wrestler known by this name.

Aris of Merrimack.

The Rock.

The Rock is right.

On December seven, 1787, Delaware became the first of the 13 colonies to ratify the US Constitution.

On May 29th, 1790, this New England colony became the last Connor of John Stark.

New Hampshire?

Sorry, no.

Harris of Merrimack, Connecticut.

No, it was Rhode Island.

It was Rhode Island in 2007.

This CEO of Apple Computers introduced the iPhone Ben of John Stark.

Steve Jobs.

Yes.

This Greek goddess of victory is used as the name of a footwear company, Alli of Merrimac Nike.

Yes.

If you have ever used the phrases damning with faint praise, fools rush in where angels fear to tread a little, learning is a dangerous thing or to air is human to forgive divine.

You have this English poet and translator to thank.

He is known for his poems, The Rape of the Lock and the done said, and his translations of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey Aris of Merrimack.

Alexander Pope.

Yes.

This man, considered by many to be the greatest broadcast journalist of all time, produced a number of reports on his newsmagazine series See It Now that helped lead to the censure of Senator Joseph McCarthy, Jack of Merrimack.

Cronkite Sorry, no.

John Stark.

Edward R Murrow was the journalist.

He was the drummer and singer for the rock band Genesis, and also had hits as a solo artist with the songs in the air tonight Against All Odds.

Take a look at me now and Sussudio.

Connor of John Starr.

COLLINS Yes, Phil Collins is right.

In 1957, American inventor Walter Frederick Walter Frederick Morrison, excuse me, sold rights to his Pluto platter to the Wham-O company who renamed it this.

Ranier of Merrimack Frisbee, the Frisbee?

Yes.

In 1937, 36 people died when this German zeppelin caught fire and was destroyed while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, New Jersey.

Brody of John Stark.

Hindenburg.

Yes.

This mathematician and astronomers 1543 work on the revolutions of the celestial spheres, proposed that the Earth revolved around the sun.

Jack of Merrimack, Copernicus.

Yes.

Author Dave Pilkey.

Oh, excuse me.

This is the Unitil power question, and it's going to come to you on your monitors.

Take a look.

Author Dave.

Pilkey created this scantily dressed superhero who is featured in a comic book created by fourth graders George Beard and Harold Hutchins, Rainier of Merrimack.

Captain Underpants.

Yes, he is the one.

And that is a double the points question.

So that is worth 20 points and that sound ends around one.

And at the end of round one, it looks like we've got a score of one 130 to 40.

Merrimack out to a lead.

All right, teams.

So that ends round one.

We're going to go into round two, which is our three strikes and you're out round.

We give each team ten questions, we go down the line.

Each player can either answer the question or they can pass to their teammates, to their right.

We go until all ten questions have been asked for ten points each or until three strikes and you're out.

Each team has three passes.

And John Stark, we are going to start with you.

And just as a reminder, something in the previous question will be the inspiration for the next question.

So you get a little hint there.

All right, Sophia, the song Tales of Brave Ulysses by the band Cream was based on the travels of Ulysses or Odysseus, and an epic poem by this Greek writer.

Pass.

Brody your question.

The Odyssey.

We're looking for the author.

Oh, um, sorry.

It was Homer.

Ben, Homer Simpson is the main character in the animated series The Simpsons, created by Matt Groening.

What character in The Simpsons is famous for saying don't have a cow man pass.

Okay, that's your second pass.

Connor, Your question.

Bart Simpson.

Bart Simpson is correct.

Sophia.

This term used to express great excitement was first used in the children's show Howdy Doody.

It was later used by Snoopy, the Cookie Monster, and Michelangelo in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

I don't know, it is cowabunga.

Brody, Mrs. O'Leary's cow was blamed for a fire in this city in 1871.

Chicago, Correct.

Ben, One of this poet's most famous works begins with the line Chicago Hog Butcher for the world's crossed.

Sorry, it is Carl Sandburg, and that is your third strike.

So after that, we've got two correct responses.

All right, thanks, John Stark.

We're going to turn our attention over to Merrimack, same drill.

We'll start with team Captain Jack and go right down the line.

Jack in her poem, I'm Nobody.

Who Are You?

This poet laments that it would be dreary to be somebody and public like a frog calling out its name for an admiring bog.

Emily Dickinson.

Correct.

Rainier.

This frog is famous for singing the song.

It's not easy being green and for his off again on again romance with Miss Piggy.

Kermit That's correct.

Aris.

The anti-war protest song War Pigs was released in 1970 by this British heavy metal band fronted by Ozzy Osborne.

Pass.

All right, Alli.

Pass.

All right, Second pass, Jack Black Sabbath.

That's correct.

Rainier.

This group of brothers was afraid of the big bad wolf in a children's tale, Three Little Pigs.

Yes, Aris, The Wolf Lupa nurse, these twin brothers in Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus.

Yes, Alli, In Game of Thrones, this character adopts a Direwolf whom he names Ghost Pass.

Jack, your question?

Jon Snow.

Yes, that is correct.

Rainier Eagan Spangler, Doctor Peter Venkman and Rat Stance are the three lead characters in this 1984 movie Ghostbusters, correct.

Aris, The dystopian novel 1984 was published by this author.

In 1949, George Orwell.

Yes.

Alli, The song 1984 was based on George Orwell's novel 1984, and was featured on this musician's 1974 album, Diamond Dogs.

David Bowie.

Correct.

Jack The song Diamonds was released by this artist, also known for the song Umbrella in 2012.

Rihanna, correct?

That is correct.

Was that in all ten?

All ten, Correct.

For a bonus of ten points for a total of 110 points.

Okay.

Good job, Merrimack.

We're going to move on to round three.

And in round three of Granite.

State challenge, we are going to do our 60 second round.

All right.

So alternates, you can go ahead and join your teams up at the podiums.

Come on up, guys.

You're good to go.

All right.

And in our 62nd round, we are going to start with the team trailing.

Each team gets ten questions in a category.

And John Stark, as a team trailing, you get to decide first.

And Sophie as team captain, I'll take your answer.

As the team answer, we'll give you ten points for each correct response and a bonus of ten points if you get them all correct.

And you can choose from the following three categories.

A is for Apple.

Tell me a story.

And over the moon.

A is for Apple.

Okay.

The answers to all of the following will include the word apple.

All right, 60 seconds.

Start the clock.

This is a home for SpongeBob.

Pineapple.

Pineapple.

Yes, this is a cereal or a character on my Little Pony.

Friendship is magic.

Apple Jack.

Yes.

He helped spread and cultivate apple tree.

Johnny Appleseed.

Johnny Appleseed.

Yes.

This was the label for the Beatles.

Apple.

Yes.

Judges, think about that.

This is what you need to avoid the doctor.

An Apple a Day.

Yes.

New York City is also known as this Big Apple.

Yes.

Steve Jobs was one of the founders of this company, Apple.

Yes.

This singer had her first big hit in 1996 with the song Criminal.

You know Fiona Apple.

Yes.

This is what the evil stepmother dressed as a witch offered Snow White.

Poison apple.

Yes.

Matt Damon famously asked this question in the movie Good Will Hunting.

Them apples to apples.

How about them apples?

Well, think about that, judges.

Those apples.

How do you like how do you like them Apples?

Give it to them.

All right.

What does that total up?

That is the question.

Oh, ten out of ten on your 60 second round.

Great job.

Fantastic.

All right, Merrimack, we turn to you and Jack.

We'll take your answer as the team answer you can choose from.

Tell me a story or over the moon.

Moon, please.

Over the moon.

All right.

The answers to all of the following will include the word moon.

All right, 60 seconds.

Start the clock.

He was the drummer for The Who?

Keith Moon.

Yes.

This work by Beethoven is also known as Piano Sonata.

Yes.

This mammal is native to Asia and has a white bib on its chest.

Moon Their moon bear.

Correct.

Something that doesn't happen often can be said to happen once in a blue moon.

Yes.

You'll find Tuxedo Mask and a black cat named Luna in this animated series.

Go Luna.

Sorry, it is Sailor Moon.

This is the eighth studio album for the band Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon.

Yes.

In this book by Margaret Wise Brown.

Everything in a room?

Yes.

In 1983, Michael Jackson thrilled an audience with this dance move.

Moonwalk.

Yes.

Audrey Hepburn sang this song in the 1961 film, Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Moon River.

Yes.

This coming of age film won the 2016 Oscar for best Picture.

Moonlight.

Moonlight is correct.

Nine out of ten on your 60 second round.

All right.

Great job.

Teams, alternates.

You can go ahead and take your seats.

And we are going to roll into round four of granite State challenge in round four.

We pick back up with our toss up questions, but we are going to double the point value to 20 points and we will be deducting 20 points for incorrect responses so lots can be gained here.

John Stark, Merrimack, Round four.

Good luck.

Here we go.

What theorem states that the square of the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides.

Connor of John Stark in Theorem Pythagorean Theorem is Rights.

Two women have served as both Governor of New Hampshire and as U.S.

Senators for the state.

Name them Jack of Merrimack, Jeanne Shaheen.

And Maggie Hassan.

They are the ones.

This 17th century French writer wrote the fairy tales.

Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Puss in Boots and Sleeping Beauty.

It was Charles Perrault's.

All right, team, here is a science question coming to you from your monitors.

Take a look.

My name is Jay.

I'm with the New Hampshire Science Teachers Association.

And I have a science question for you.

In 1967, astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee died in a fire on the launch pad of this NASA mission.

Aris of Merrimac, Apollo one.

Apollo One is right.

Teams In what country will you find the cities of Amman, Zarqa or bid and Wadi al Seer?

You can find them in the country of Jordan.

What is the legal principle of following legal precedent when adjudicating a case known as.

Jack of Merrimack Common Law.

Sorry, No.

John Stark.

It is starry decisis.

This 1985 movie features a flux capacitor and a DeLorean.

Aris of Merrimack.

Back to the Future, one of my favorites.

The United States has 50 states.

Canada has ten provinces.

How many states does Mexico have?

I didn't know it either.

Has 31 states.

This singer songwriter founded the band Nirvana with Krist.

Novoselic and Aaron Burkhart in Seattle in 1987.

Connor of John Star.

Kurt Cobain.

Yes.

In 2010, this person became the first woman to win an academy Award for best director for her Iraq war thriller.

The Hurt Locker.

Connor of John Stark.

Say it again, Connor.

Sorry.

No, I don't know who rang in that Jack.

Greta Gerwig.

Sorry.

Nope.

It was Kathryn Bigelow.

It's Kathryn Bigelow.

Portrait Mount Monument.

A 1921 sculpture by Adelaide Johnson is found in the rotunda of the US Capitol.

It portrays Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B Anthony and this abolitionist and suffragist who organized the Seneca Falls Convention with Cady Stanton in 1848.

It includes Lucretia mott.

This author wrote the novels Tortilla Flat, Cannery Row, East of Eden, and the Red Pony.

Aris of Merrimack.

Steinbeck.

John Steinbeck is right.

The zucchini is a summer squash that can grow to be three feet in length.

The first records of zucchini in the United States date back to the 1920s and were likely brought to the country by Italian immigrants.

Spell Zucchini.

Rainier of Merrimack.

Zucchini.

That is correct.

This musician was a session keyboardist in the 1960s playing for.

Little Richard Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, The Rolling Stones and the Beatles.

He had solo hits with the songs Nothing from Nothing.

And will it go round in circles?

He is the only non Beatle given a credit on a Beatles recording.

He was credited for his keyboard playing on Get Back.

Billy Preston.

In 2013, Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, bought this newspaper for $250 million.

Jack of Merrimack, The Washington Post.

That's the one.

This gymnast has seven Olympic medals.

She won her first gold medals at the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

She won individual gold medals in the all around vault and floor.

A bronze medal on the balance beam and a team gold medal.

Alli of Merrimack.

Simone Biles.

She's the one.

This capital city of North Carolina is named for this English explorer and courtier who was beheaded by acts under the orders of King James, the first in 1618.

His last words are reported to have been.

What dost thou Fear.

Strike man.

Strike!

Jack of Merrimack.

Raleigh, Sir Walter.

Raleigh.

Yes.

This French author wrote the adventure stories.

The Count of Monte Cristo and the three Musketeers.

Jack of Merrimack.

Dumont.

Yes.

In 1960, four black students from North Carolina A and T University.

Ezell Blair Junior.

David Richmond, Franklin McCain and Joseph McNeil staged what would be the first of a number of sit ins at the lunch counter at the F.W.

Woolworth Store in this North Carolina city.

Aris of Merrimack.

Greensboro.

Yes.

This documentary filmmaker and New Hampshire resident is known for works like the Civil War, baseball, jazz and country music.

Aris of Merrimack.

Ken Burns.

Yes.

All right teams, a math question for you.

You have pencil and paper.

Should you need it.

If you buy a $27 sweater and have a 15% off coupon, how much will you pay for the sweater?

Oh, just missed it there, Jack.

$22.95 for that sweater.

In 1999 this man was acquitted by the U.S. Senate in his impeachment trial.

Jack of Merrimack.

Bill Clinton.

Yes.

In 2013, the civil rights activist and U.S. congressman from Georgia published the first volume of a graphic novel trilogy march about his early life and work with the civil rights movement.

Jack of Merrimack.

John Lewis.

Yes.

All right, teams, go ahead and take a look at the monitors for the next question coming at you.

You are looking at the place.

Well, I guess you might looking at it or you might not, but that sound ends our game.

And by a score of 550 to 190, Merrimack will be moving on to the next round.

All right.

Congratulations, Merrimack, on a good win.

We'll see you in a few weeks when you take on the winner of the Souhegan High and Nashua High South game.

John Stark, thank you so much for playing.

Congratulations on your wild card win and thank you for coming back to play in this round.

We hope you guys had fun.

We had fun having you guys here.

All right.

And we hope you had fun at home as well.

We do hope that you tune in next week.

That's going to do it for us this week.

And as I like to say, every time I play a Granite State challenge, I learned something.

And I hope you did as well.

Thanks for joining us.

We'll see you next time.

Major funding for the production of Granite State challenge is provided by UNITIL.

Additional funding provided by NEA New Hampshire.

Safety Insurance, The New Hampshire Lottery.

D.F.

Richard Energy, Cognia, HRCU.

And viewers like you.

Thank you.