WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES MAY 10, 2018 19
BUZZ
Queens teacher competes on Jeopardy!
BY RYAN KELLEY
RKELLEY@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
TWITTER @R_KELLEY6
A Middle Village teacher who
lives in Bayside got the chance
to represent his school in front
of a national TV audience on May 7
when he competed on an episode of
“Jeopardy!”
Lee DiGeorge, who educates students
at P.S./I.S. 87 on 80th Street, took
part in the annual Teachers Tournament
on the long-running game show
hosted by Alex Trebek. When the
Ridgewood Times caught up with Di-
George a few hours before the pre-recorded
episode aired, he said the day
had been fi lled with anticipation, and
there was nowhere that excitement
was more visible than in his students.
“They’re ridiculously ready to go,
and they said if I lost then I shouldn’t
come back to school tomorrow,” Di-
George said with a laugh. “That’s going
to be a problem.”
He had to keep it a secret until the
episode debuted, but DiGeorge did lose.
He competed throughout the episode
and stayed alive until the Final Jeopardy
question, and he had no choice but to
wager all of the $5,200 he earned, he said.
The Final Jeopardy question
stumped all three of the contestants,
but even though DiGeorge lost it all
he didn’t go home empty-handed. All
contestants in the Teachers Tournament
are awarded with a $2,500 grant
for participating, and DiGeorge said
he plans to put that money toward
new tablet computers for the special
education department at P.S./I.S. 87.
DiGeorge expressed his gratitude
for getting such a unique opportunity
that many people wish they could have,
but it was far from his fi rst game show
experience. This marked the fi ft h time
that DiGeorge has competed and lost
on a game show.
“I love competition and matching
wits against somebody and trying to
win a game, even though my time on
game shows is not much of the winning
part,” Di George said.
Di George has also competed on
“Minute to Win It” with Guy Fieri,
“Let’s Ask America,” “The Million
Second Quiz” with Ryan Seacrest and
NPR’s “Ask Me Another.”
For his experience on “Jeopardy!”
he revealed a little bit about what’s
behind the curtain. The first step
to qualifying for the show is taking
an online, 50-question quiz, and the
results are never revealed, DiGeorge
said. Those who do well enough on the
quiz simply get a call asking them to
come in for an interview and another
test to evaluate how well they might
perform in the spotlight.
DiGeorge added that “Jeopardy!”
invited him to be interviewed in July
2017, and then told him he had been
selected to compete in January.
In the end, DiGeorge said that all of
his game show appearances have been
Photo via Lee DiGeorge on Facebook
about enjoying the moment. He has
spent the last 13 years at P.S./I.S. 087
teaching middle school English and
technology, and he is always eager to
share that sentiment with his students.
“I’m interested in letting my students
know it’s all about the journey rather
than the destination,” DiGeorge said.
“Having these stories and memories
to share with my kids, my grandkids
someday and my students, that’s
where students get rich from.”
Lee DiGeorge (right) with host Alex Trebek during the fi lming of "Jeopardy!"
Christ the King to induct six into the 2018 Hall of Fame
Six new members will be added
to the Christ the King Hall of
Fame on Saturday, May 19, with
more than 150 people expected to be
in attendance for the celebration.
This year’s inductees are: Peter
Mannarino, member of the Christ
the King Board of Trustees and
former principal of the school (Faculty
Award); Enzo Alessandro (‘78);
Laurian Barth (68’); T.Y. (Bill) Soo
Hoo (‘70); Sharod Tomlinson (‘01);
and Salvatore Crifasi (Community
Award).
“I would like to congratulate all
of our 2018 Hall of Fame inductees,”
said Serphin R. Maltese, chairman
of the Board of Trustees. “They
have all given their time, eff orts
and energy to make Christ the King
a model of excellence in catholic
education while fostering a true
sense of community across all aspects
of our campus life, activities
and resources.”
Maltese added that the board
is particularly honored to have
Mannarino as one of the inductees,
who served as principal from
2006-2017.
“He has been an instrumental part
of the Christ the King family and
we are blessed to have his guidance
and experience,” Maltese said. “It is
fi tting to recognize Peter and all of
this year’s nominees for their selfl ess
eff orts.”
The induction ceremony and celebration
will take place from 6 p.m. to
11 p.m. at Christ the King High School.
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