SHREWSBURY – Do you know which Arthur Miller play is an allegory for McCarthyism?
Saint John’s students did — and the answer is “The Crucible.”
Some of Saint John’s most knowledgeable students appeared on WGBH’s “High School Quiz Show” during the show’s season 15 premiere on Feb. 2.
The Pioneers — who were appearing on the quiz show for the first time in program history — defeated Maynard in the wild-card round to open this year’s tournament.
The group’s achievement came rather incidentally. Just three days before “Super Sunday” — when teams compete to qualify for the show — Saint John’s students had no intention of participating. With less than 72 hours prior to the competition, Rohil Mohan and Andrew Yacoub — two friends and avid “High School Quiz Show” watchers — nonchalantly decided to try their luck. The duo soon called some of their friends to form the team.
“I think we were kind of like ‘Hey, do you want to try it?’” Mohan told the Community Advocate in an interview at Saint John’s High School. “We called up the guys… We got the group together.”
Ryan Jenoski, Lawson Mitchell, and Rushil Mohan — Rohil Mohan’s brother — joined the competition, and of the 58 schools that competed to qualify, the Saint John’s team was placed in the tournament’s wild-card round.
The group said that, in some ways, its more laid-back attitude helped them succeed.
“I think one of the things that separated us from other teams is that when we were doing the test to qualify, all the other teams were stone-cold serious and we were cracking jokes,” Rohil Mohan said.
That’s not to say that the group didn’t seriously prepare for the tournament. Rohil Mohan said the group watched just about every episode of the show while studying, and Rushil Mohan said Quizlet was one of his main methods of preparation. Saint John’s also helped the students, giving them an education that includes knowledge in just about every area.
“What I love about Saint John’s is [the] wide variety of material — you get to learn basically everything,” said Yacoub.
You have to be well-studied to succeed on the show, but the game also includes strategy. In the first round of competition, each team is allowed to confer while the question is being read, giving participants the ability to briefly collaborate with teammates and arrive at the correct answer. Timing is everything.
“The week before [the show], practically every single day, we just practiced standing in a line and whispering to each other. That was really helpful for us,” said Rushil Mohan. “It’s really important that all four of us talk to each other, because one of us probably knows the answer. It’s just who can buzz first.”
Each of the students had an area of expertise; Mitchell was the history guy, for instance.
But even if the Saint John’s students knew everything, they had to master another important aspect of the competition. To even get the opportunity to answer the question, they needed to be first to hit the buzzer.
“You kind of just slam and pray, to be honest with you… There’s like people who have written books on this, but we kind of just went on feeling,” said Yacoub, who admitted his button-pressing strategy was less than sophisticated.
The group got together the night before the competition for some last-minute cramming. Most members, cognizant that they would be on TV, were nervous, but as soon as the first questions were asked, the anxiousness faded, and the competitors were able to tune out the bright lights and live studio audience.
In bright-red Saint John’s sweatshirts, the team took it to Maynard immediately, dominating the episode from start to finish. Some Saint John’s students made the journey into Boston to see the team compete live. When the episode premiered on TV weeks later, the team was able to watch the success with friends and family.
“I watched it with a couple of my friends… It’s kind of hard to see yourself on TV or hear yourself through a microphone. I felt like we represented ourselves and the school well, and I’m happy with how it went,” said Yacoub.
Michael Curran, an English teacher and basketball coach at Saint John’s, coached the team. All of the team members the Community Advocate interviewed spoke highly of Curran, who put aside other commitments — including rescheduling basketball practice — to spend his Saturday morning supporting the team in Boston.
After defeating Maynard, Saint John’s competed against Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, which won last year’s tournament. The Pioneers didn’t fare as well against the Cambridge-based school, but the Saint John’s students are still proud of their accomplishments and tournament run.
Although the team’s spur-of-the-moment decision to compete on “High School Quiz Show” was successful, students said that future Saint John’s quiz show teams will be better prepared. Next year, the group hopes to form an actual club, increase the number of people interested, and head back to Boston for upcoming competitions.
“Some of these guys are graduating next year, but I’m hopefully trying to get something started with an actual club and actual team. We want to grow with a lot more people,” said Mitchell, one of the team’s junior members.
To watch the Saint John’s students in action, visit https://www.wgbh.org/tv-shows/high-school-quiz-show
