NH HIGH SCHOOL ACADEMIC TEAMS VIE TO COMPETE IN NHPTV’S 2017 GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE SEASON

(DURHAM, November 29, 2016) — Forty-nine New Hampshire high school academic teams competed on November 13th for a place in the 33rd season of GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE (GSC), New Hampshire Public Television’s academic quiz show.

The teams gathered at Manchester Community College to take a written quiz in the hopes of winning a spot to play in the 2017 season. The GSC Super Sunday qualifying contest featured school teams of up to six players in grades 9 – 12. The 16 teams with the highest scores will compete in the 2017 season of GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE. Through spirited competition and questions that align with state curriculum standards, GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE is an entertaining and educational series that generates school pride and has an enthusiastic on-air and online audience.

Eighteen teams secured scores high enough to be in the running for one of the 16 slots: 14 teams are now guaranteed to play, and four teams will compete in two non-televised games for the other two places. The teams are: 14 FINAL TEAMS Academy for Science and Design Bedford High School Bishop Guertin High School Concord High School Dover High School and Career Technical Center Fall Mountain Regional High School Manchester Central High School Merrimack High School Nashua High School South Plymouth Regional High School Portsmouth Christian Academy Portsmouth High School Salem High School Souhegan High School 4 TEAMS COMPETING FOR TWO SLOTS Farmington High School Raymond High School Manchester School of Technology High School Cocheco Academy of the Arts In this year’s lineup, there are several new schools and some that have returned after a few years.

Bedford High School’s coach Jon Cannon said, “We've missed the cut for the past two years, and our students worked so hard to get back to the show.” Manchester Central High School’s coach Lorraine Meyette noted, “Our team is very excited to represent our school in GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE. We are looking forward to some rigorous competition in the new season.”

Thanks to the generosity of lead sponsor Unitil Corporation, a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE is able to continue to challenge high school students and viewers. “As expected, this year’s Granite State Challenge Super Sunday was once again a fantastic event that showcased the knowledge, passion and talents of students from across New Hampshire,” said Carol Valianti, VP of communications and public affairs, Unitil. “We’re proud to partner with NHPTV to help ensure high school students in our communities have the chance to participate in one of the most fun and educational events of the year.”

At the end of the season, watch for a Granite State vs. Bay State match between the winners of the GRANITE STATE SUPERCHALLENGE and the WGBH Boston High School Quiz Show. NHPTV also offers an interactive, online quiz version of GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE where individuals can take the Challenge and play against each other in real time at nhptv.org/gsc/online-quiz.htm  

It takes a winning combination of knowledge, teamwork, grace under pressure, and a quick buzzer reflex to play GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE. The show brings New Hampshire's top high school academic teams head-to-head in a game that emphasizes quick recall of material in all major disciplines - math, science, social studies, language and fine arts - along with a mix of questions about current events, entertainment, sports, and regional topics.

Host Jim Jeannotte poses the Challenge questions to the teams and interviews the team members. Visit the website at nhptv.org/gsc GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE is generously funded by lead sponsor Unitil; additional funding is provided by NEA New Hampshire, Heinemann, D.F. Richard, Measured Progress, PAX World Investments, Manchester Community College, and NHHEAF Network Organizations. Watch GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE online anytime at video.nhptv.org

Pressroom Contact

Carla Gordon Russell
Director of Communications
crussell@nhpbs.org
(603) 868-4339