Continuing their phenomenal winning streak in the quarterfinal round, the academic team from Massapequa High School moves on to the Nassau County semifinal round of The Long Island Challenge.

The team members have proven their expertise in such areas as global events, local history, popular culture, art, literature, math and science. In order to make it to the finals, Massapequa will have to beat Herricks High School.

The third-round competition will be shown exclusively on News 12 Long Island at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 27, with an encore airing the very next night Sunday, May 28, at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Massapequa is one of only four 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 with a televised showdown between the Nassau and Suffolk champions that is scheduled to air on June 17. The Power to Learn Challenge Championship, the first interstate challenge between champions from Long Island and New Jersey is scheduled to air on News 12 on June 24.

"The teams are tougher and the stakes are higher in the third round of The Long Island Challenge. All the students have done a fantastic job of maintaining their 'collective cool' when the pressure is on - and it's only increasing. We wish Massapequa and Herricks good luck in the semifinals. From here on in, it's anyone's game to win," said Dodie Tschirch, Cablevision's Regional Vice President of Public Affairs.

Representing Massapequa High School will be team members Nicole Foley, Caitlin Lewin, 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.