June 26, 2023, SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The 62nd season of “As Schools Match Wits” concluded on Saturday, June 24, with the broadcast on NEPM TV of the championship match between Lenox Memorial High School and Westfield High School. After an exciting competition, Lenox 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, “As Schools Match Wits” 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, June 10, Lenox Memorial was pitted against the Academy at Charlemont. On Saturday, June 17, Westfield High competed with Amherst Regional High School. Lenox and Westfield won their semifinal matches and advanced to the championship.
After two seasons of special procedures to accommodate the COVID pandemic, there was a return to normal for Season 62 with teams and host Beth Ward interacting in a single studio together. 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.
“It was a great season with 36 schools participating,” said Mark St. Jean, Westfield State University ASMW producer. “We were able to expand the schedule again to include four quarterfinal matches in addition to the semifinals and the championship. The teams seemed very motivated and that was apparent in every match. I commend all of the coaches for getting their teams prepared and I congratulate Lenox Memorial High School for their championship win in a down-to-the-last-question match against a very strong Westfield High team.”
“As we draw the curtain on the 62nd season of ASMW, I want to congratulate this year’s champions, Lenox Memorial, on their hard-fought victory, and thank all of the teams that participated for sharing their academic skills with us,” said Tony Dunne, NEPM content director and ASMW executive producer. “My thanks as well to Mark St. Jean and our colleagues at Westfield State University for being such wonderful production partners. We look forward to welcoming students from across the region once again this coming fall when we kick off the historic 63rd season of ASMW!”
The championship match and all matches of the 62nd season are available for streaming at video.nepm.org.
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