Mount Vernon High School Students Are 'Academic'

This weekend, three talented Mount Vernon High School students will take on some of the region's brightest minds on the long-running NBC4 quiz show, "It's Academic". 

Three exceptional students were selected to compete with teams from James Hubert Blake High School in Silver Spring and Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax. These students, seniors Scott Klein and Josephine Lintot and sophomore Elizabeth Portaluppi, were coached by math teacher and club advisor Mitch Luxenberg.

It's Academic is a club at Mount Vernon High School, with about 15 active club members who meet weekly to compete with other students. As the coach, Luxenberg makes the final call as to who is selected for the competetition based on the students' strengths. He usually selects "somebody who's very good at science, somebody who's good at social studies, and somebody who's good at literature so we can cover as broad a spectrum we can."

Students who participate in the club and who are selected in the competition have a strong background of retaining general knowledge from their classes. Explained Luxenberg, "It's just basically doing their regular classwork and then just recalling, by memory, the thing that they've learned or were supposed to have learned." 

The students travel to high schools across the county to compete in informal scrimmages and meet other students who share the same passion for their studies. 

"The main thing is that the club and the team really attracts some of the best students in the high school, so therefore the seniors are candidates for the most competitive colleges," said Luxenberg. "The bottom line is that the activity appeals to the kids who really excel in their studies at school, and it's a fun outlet for them to exercise their brains and to meet other like-minded students across the county." 

The Mount Vernon High School cheerleaders will also be cheering on their peers on Saturday.

"It's Academic" has been recognized by the Guiness Book of World Records as the world's longest running television quiz show. Sponsored by Giant Food, "It's Academic" celebrates its 50th year on the air next year. The show has been hosted by Mac McGarry since its inception. 

It's Academic will air this Saturday at 11 a.m. on NBC4, Channel 4.