Following their first-round victory in The Long Island Challenge, the academic team from Massapequa High School is moving on to the Nassau County quarterfinal round, where their familiarity with global events, local history, popular culture, art, literature, math and science will be fully tested.

Massapequa High School challenges Baldwin High School during this second-round competition, shown exclusively on News 12 Long Island at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 15, 2006, with an encore airing the very next night Sunday, April 16, at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Massapequa is one of only eight Nassau County schools to make it this far in the 2005-2006 season of The Long Island Challenge.

The academic quiz show, moderated by popular News 12 Anchor Scott Feldman, challenges the four-member teams with increasingly difficult questions during the half-hour competition. Now in its ninth year, the Long Island tournament will conclude after a series of elimination rounds with a televised showdown between the Nassau and Suffolk champions on June 17. The Power to Learn Challenge Championship, a first of its kind interstate challenge between champions from Long Island and New Jersey, will air on News 12 on June 24, 2006.

"Both the competition and pressure increase in this second round of The Long Island Challenge, but the contestants have honed their skills and are now primed to perform. Cablevision is delighted to partner with Long Island high schools to showcase some of the region's most academically talented students in an exciting, entertaining television show. We wish Massapequa and Baldwin good luck in the quarterfinals," said Dodie Tschirch, Cablevision's Regional Vice President of Public Affairs.

Representing Massapequa High School will be team members Nicole Foley, Caitlin Iewin, team captain Courtney Hume, Nick Devito and team alternate Jamie Scotto. The team's academic advisors are Pamela Hudson and Sally Mattern.

Continuing each week through June 2006, the show shines the spotlight on the students' academic skills as they compete for approximately $20,000 in prizes.

The 30-minute show is divided into rounds that include multiple-choice questions and a lightning round, where teams try to answer 10 questions in 60 seconds. In the final round, teams can answer questions freely, but risk losing 10 points for any incorrect answers.

Through a series of elimination rounds, schools will progress through the competition, culminating with the best team from Nassau County facing off against the best team from Suffolk County for the Long Island Championship. Then, in a first of its kind event, the best team from Long Island will face off against the best team from New Jersey in an interstate Challenge Championship.