ACADEMIC QUIZZING WITH PBS39'S SCHOLASTIC SCRIMMAGE

For over 36 years, PBS39, public television for eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey, has been producing Scholastic Scrimmage, the area’s most popular high school television show where students are quizzed about all academic disciplines.

In an era of reality TV shows and many programs that are inappropriate for students to view, PBS39 is proud to provide the community with a program that every age group can watch together. Scholastic Scrimmage entertains, educates and inspires the entire family. It highlights academic achievement and rewards the participating students and their schools, by showcasing their scholastic talents on television. The show also encourages younger students to study and aim high, so that they can one day be a Scholastic Scrimmage contestant.

The success of all PBS programs, whether locally or nationally produced is demonstrated by their overwhelming popularity with viewers as well as the numerous awards they have received from inside as well as outside the industry. Scholastic Scrimmage has been an overwhelmingly successful educational production as evidenced by its greater popularity as each season passes. Each season, contestants sharpen their competitive edge and have made the show into a battle between the best and brightest of the Lehigh Valley.

During the 2011-2012 season, 33 school contestant teams attempt to answer questions more quickly and correctly than members of the opposing team. Scholastic Scrimmage airs on Saturdays at 9:30am and Sundays at 10:00am and 4:00pm. The program can be seen by 2.6 million households in eastern Pennsylvania and 5.2 million viewers in western New Jersey.

The 2011-2012 season’s final match pitted Pen Argyl and Freedom High School, competing for the right to call their school the 2010-2011 Scholastic Scrimmage winners. Pen Argyl High School won the match of academic excellence with a score of 220-135. This was the first time that Pen Argyl won Scholastic Scrimmage and the Principal and Coach were beaming with pride, noting that the culture of their community with a good work ethic allowed them to believe that they could compete with anyone, anywhere and in anything. 

In a recent “Morning Call” article, contestants and school officials shared their enthusiasm and were quoted as saying:

“I thought I was going to cry,” junior Leslie Fournier said.

“I am excited for a small school like this and Freedom is very good. I am just so happy for these kids,” said Pen Argyl Coach Tom Snelling.

“I am proud of our students,” said Freedom High School Principal Mike LaPorta. “We started out our year with the theme ‘A year of greatness’ and this was just the capstone.  We didn’t win, but there’s always next year.”

Pen Argyl HS Scholastic Scrimmage Champions                  Freedom High School, 2011-12  Runner-Up Team

Besides that, PBS39 is proud to continue the Scholastic Scrimmage All Stars program. This program, instituted in 2005, features the captains from the top 8 competing teams. These eightcaptains were randomly assigned to two teams who then squared off in this lively competition. PBS39 is pleased to highlight these talented young students through the addition of the Scholastic Scrimmage All Stars program to the television schedule.

At the end of the Scholastic Scrimmage season, the winning team is awarded $4,000 for its scholarship fund and the runner-up team receives $2,000. The winning team also receives medals, a plaque for their high school trophy case, and the bragging rights of being the very “best and brightest” in the Lehigh Valley.

Grant funds traditionally pay for the scholarships awarded to each of the final teams’ schools. In addition, these funds support the costs of producing Scholastic Scrimmage.

For more information, visit the Scholastic Scrimmage website.

You can watch a video clip of Scholastic Scrimmage here: