May 30, 2022, Springfield, Mass. — The 61st season of As Schools Match Wits concluded on Saturday, May 28, with the broadcast on NEPM TV of the championship match between Westfield High School and Longmeadow High School. After an exciting competition, Longmeadow was announced as the winning team and will proudly take home the coveted “Collamore Cup.”
As Schools Match Wits (ASMW) pits teams of western New England high schoolers against each other in a fun, but competitive game of academic performance. The competition is open to both public and private high schools throughout western New England.
ASMW was originally created by Leonard J. Collamore in 1961 to showcase local students in an engaging format. Today, ASMW is co-produced by NEPM and Westfield State University and hosted by award-winning local TV journalist Beth Ward. The show is produced using Westfield State University facilities and students in the Department of Communications serve as the production crew. NEPM supplies professional production, broadcast, marketing, and technical support. It is one of the longest-running shows of its kind in the nation.
Four teams participated in the semifinal rounds, which were broadcast on NEPM. On Saturday, May 14, Minnechaug was pitted against Longmeadow. On Saturday, May 14, Hall High competed with Westfield. Longmeadow and Westfield won their semifinal matches and advanced to the championship.
The Westfield team was particularly thrilled to make it to the finals. “As a young team with no on-air experience, we were so surprised to have scored a whopping 300 points in our very first round, qualifying us for the semifinals,” said Westfield team faculty advisor Kate Pawul. “To make it to the academic “super bowl” we'd have to make it past the formidable Hall High team in the next round, and we were nervous. As the match progressed, it started to become clear that we'd make it to the championship round. I'm so very proud of our team and how they performed both on and off the show. We are so grateful for all the talented folks who make this show possible. We look forward to participating next year!
Faculty advisors play an important role in the process and many jumped at the opportunity to sign up their school’s teams this year. Then, they spent countless hours working with their students to get them ready. “I am very pleased with the team’s win,” noted Longmeadow advisor Tracy Kelley. “They are hardworking students who gave all of their hearts and efforts to win this tournament.”
Protocols for COVID that were developed for the previous season remained in place this year. “Despite the lingering COVID situation, we had 36 schools participate in As Schools Match Wits this past academic year,” noted Westfield State University ASMW Producer Mark St. Jean. “The competition was intense and, as followers of the show witnessed, the playoff matches were amazing. Congratulations to Longmeadow High School for winning the Collamore Cup and to all of the teams for sharing their academic skills with us in Season 61 of ASMW.”
“As we draw the curtain on the 61st season of ASMW, I want to not only congratulate this year’s champions, Longmeadow High, on their hard-fought victory, but also to all of the teams that participated against the backdrop of the pandemic during this uncertain year,” said NEPM ASMW Executive Producer Tony Dunne. “My thanks as well to Mark St. Jean and our wonderful colleagues at Westfield State University who created a safe environment to carry on production of the program. We look forward to welcoming students from across the region once again this coming fall when we kick off the historic 62nd season of ASMW!”
The championship match and all matches of the 61st season can be watched at video.nepm.org.
ABOUT WESTFIELD STATE UNIVERSITY
Founded in 1839 by Horace Mann, Westfield State was the first co-educational college in America to offer an education without barrier to race, creed, or economic status. Westfield State University is dedicated to equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to succeed. This season marks the 16th year that As Schools Match Wits has been produced on the Westfield State University campus.
ABOUT NEW ENGLAND PUBLIC MEDIA
New England Public Media is a community-supported, independent non-profit organization based in Springfield, Massachusetts. Through a deep commitment to independent local journalism, trusted educational content, inspired cultural offerings, and civic engagement, NEPM endeavors to share new voices and inspire new conversations. It provides audiences with a broad array of local and national programs across all media —TV, radio, online, and mobile, including PBS and NPR programs as well as locally produced series, podcasts and specials. Its four digital TV channels, and two radio networks present news, jazz and classical music, documentaries, talk, drama, plus cultural and educational programming.
For more information, visit nepm.org or follow NEPM on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
MEDIA CONTACT
Vanessa Cerillo
Senior Director, Marketing, Communications and Events
New England Public Media
413-735-6605
vanessa_cerillo@nepm.org