RISING TO THE CHALLENGE

Encyclopedias, biology and social studies textbooks, reference tools and notebooks filled with scrawled ideas are found in the home of NHPBS Education Manager Susan Adams. As co-producer of NHPBS’ long-running educational game show GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE, Adams finds herself always seeking questions — and answers — spanning history, math, science, current events, pop culture and spelling, among other subjects.

“What we’re hoping to do with GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE is entertain, inform and enlighten,” says Adams. “We want to maybe surface something you don’t know, and we want to encourage an enthusiasm for lifelong learning in both our kids and our audience.”

Every autumn, interested schools can form a team and attend an open qualifying event, where they complete a 100-question test to earn the chance to proceed in the competition. In its 41 season history, more than 6,500 New Hampshire high school students have participated in the program.

For every episode of GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE, Adams prepares 120 questions – though not every question makes it on the air. She also produces a weekly online quiz. To keep up, she sets herself a goal to write five original questions every weekday.

Before every live show, Adams, program host Jon Cannon, show judge Ann Boulanger and the crew conduct a full read out of all the questions and answers to check for clarity and eliminate the possibility of multiple correct answers.

Adams believes teenagers like the competitive element of game shows, but knowledge-gathering is also a function of the digital world we live in. “There are constant invitations to apply and explore information in the age of the Internet, whether it’s top-ten lists, quizzes or ask-me-anything type interviews,” she explains. “We can ask our players questions about music or pop culture going back decades because they’re exposed to it. The breadth and depth of information at their fingertips is astounding.”

Cannon, a social studies teacher at Bow High School, says participating in the show offers positive reinforcement for students. “You sometimes get kiddos that are cool and unique, but there’s not a place in school where they really get to shine,” he says. “GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE is special because you don’t have to be academically gifted to do it, but you do have to know things and prepare. It gives kids the chance to stand out and earn acclaim and congratulations.”

As a former GSC team coach himself, Cannon says students who work diligently with a coach tend to perform best. “Teams that are good are not just talented – they put in the work. They get up to speed on subjects like New Hampshire history and study up on trivia. Plus, it’s just really cool to know stuff.”

What are his favorite subjects? He likes the social studies, history and geography topics best. You can catch Jon Cannon hosting GRANITE STATE CHALLENGE every Thursday evening at 7:30 PM on NHPBS or online at nhpbs.org/gsc.

Are you ready to expand YOUR knowledge? The online quiz is tiered by school level but is open to anyone looking to up their trivia game. Subjects range from U.S. presidents and Shakespeare to New Hampshire symbols and Ancient Rome. Try the weekly quiz at nhpbs.org/gsc