Submitted by Chatham Public Schools
Chatham High School senior Rhea Sinha was selected to compete in the nationally televised Jeopardy! Team Tournament, which airs from November 7th to November 20th. Rhea’s episode aired on November 12th.
As part of the selection process, Rhea took an online test (50 Jeopardy!-style questions) last March after a friend from the CHS Academic Team asked all the members to take the test to see how they did. Rhea received an email inviting her to attend an in-person audition in Washington D.C. last June. During the audition, Rhea completed a second 50-question test, a mock round of Jeopardy!, and a personality interview. She received a call the next month, which informed her that she had been selected to appear on the show. Rhea traveled to Los Angeles in August to compete.
Over 10,000 teens took the online test, of which approximately 300 teens were called back for the in-person auditions, which took place across the country. Only fifteen students, nationally, made it into the Teen Tournament.
Of the experience, Rhea said, “Honestly, being on Jeopardy! was the coolest experience of my entire life and one that I’ll remember and cherish forever. I’m close friends with all the other contestants, and we still text and video-chat daily; we’ve bonded over being on the show. I freaked out when I got the call – I had never been more excited in my entire life! To prepare, I mostly just looked at my Academic Team flashcards and did practice questions online.”
Rhea credits her experience as a member of the CHS Academic Team with preparing well to compete on this national stage. She said, “Honestly, being part of the CHS Academic Team and going to all the tournaments, especially Nationals, prepared me for the experience pretty well.”
Rhea’s counselor at CHS, Liz Tully-Cano, said, “Rhea is a an exceptionally talented and bright young woman with an insatiable curiosity and desire to learn about the world around her. She is a genuine example of a life-long learner. I’m thrilled for her to have had this experience, and I’m looking forward to watching her compete on Jeopardy! with my family.”
CHS Principal Darren Groh said, “Rhea has done wonderful things while at Chatham High School. It is no surprise that her work ethic and love for learning has earned her this unique opportunity. It will be exciting to see Rhea on Jeopardy and I hope she enjoyed the moment.”
