SRA Team to Debut on RI High School Quiz Show

You may see some familiar faces on Rhode Island PBS in a few weeks, as the first appearance of Saint Raphael Academy's team on Rhode Island High School Quiz Show graces the airwaves.

After a whirlwind few weeks in the fall studying questions and taping the show, the SRA team’s episode will air on Thursday, April 25, at 7 pm on Rhode Island PBS stations.
Although Massachusetts has been running its version of the show for a decade, this is only the second season of the Rhode Island version.

Saint Raphael Academy’s team of whiz kids consists of seniors Jesus Santos, Ryan Deschene, Theresa Wagner and Emily Fournier, with alternates Gwen Hultquist and Kylie McLaughlin. Theology teachers Timothy Robbins and Aidan Campolettano coached them through the competition.

When the open call for competitors went out to high schools over the summer, SRA administrators contacted Theresa to get things started. She then enlisted several of her friends to compete with her. The team took the preliminary “test of intelligence” exam in October and was one of the eight highest scoring teams, leading them to qualify for the show.

Then began a blitz of practicing in a quiz show format, covering the 10 subjects—including math, science, literature, current events and popular culture—that would be asked of them during the taping of the show. Coincidentally, all of the students on the panel are taking AP U.S. History, and they were most comfortable with that subject.

The first match is against Classical High School, and the winning team will move on to the next bracket, similar to many sports elimination championships If Saint Raphael Academy advances, they will face either Mt. Saint Charles or Lasalle Academy in the next round.