Graduate of East Lake Academy Competes on ‘Teen Jeopardy’

For Immediate Release
November 19 th , 2018
Summary: A graduate <strong>of</strong> <strong>East</strong> <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Academy</strong>, Isabella Pagano, competed on November’s ‘Teen
Jeopardy,’ taking home second place.
<strong>Graduate</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>East</strong> <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> <strong>Competes</strong>
on ‘Teen Jeopardy’
November 19 th , 2018 – <strong>Lake</strong> Forest, IL - Most Americans have dreamed about appearing on an episode
<strong>of</strong> Jeopardy. A typical family pastime is to watch the show and see who knows the answers to the
infamously difficult trivia questions presented by the show’s host, Alex Trebek. For Isabella Pagano that
dream became a reality when she appeared on the classic, long-running game show.
Isabella Grew Up on Jeopardy
Isabella Pagano is a freshman in high school and recent graduate <strong>of</strong> <strong>East</strong> <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> – a private
Catholic school for children through pre-kindergarten to eighth grade. The young woman grew up
watching Jeopardy with her parents. As a child, she knew she’d try to enter the teen-version <strong>of</strong> the
contest as soon as she were old enough.
How Teens Qualify
To be considered for a contestant on Teen Jeopardy, students must take an online test. This test is given
to over eight thousand hopefuls. The top 250 scorers are then flown out to Washington, D.C., where
they take another test to prove they did their own tests during the first round.
Once testing scores have been confirmed, the remaining teenagers participate in Game Play, which is
essentially a live audition <strong>of</strong> what would occur on the show. Participants are spoken to, ring the buzzer,
and answer questions presented to them. Of those up to 250 teenagers, a small portion are chosen to
actually participate in the competition. Pagano was notified she would be allowed to participate in the
tournament at the end <strong>of</strong> July.
November 8 th Episode
The episode where Isabella Pagano appears aired on November 8 th , 2018 at 3:30 pm on Channel 7 ABC-
TV. The complete tournament aired from November 7 th to the 20 th . Pagano placed second among her
round, which is a significant achievement.
When asked how she felt during the initial tests and the competition itself, Pagano said: “I felt good
about my answers on both tests, but you never know how other people are going to score… It was
sometimes scary, because you just don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Remaining Calm
Through everything, Pagano remained pretty calm – especially for a freshman, which meant she was one
<strong>of</strong> the youngest show contestants. Her key to staying calm? Isabella said she just reminded herself to be

happy for the opportunity to appear on the show and that, if she did not make it, she could always try
again next year.
Isabella also <strong>of</strong>fered a little insight as to what Jeopardy is really like behind the scenes. “The show is a lot
more produced than it looks on TV, and there was a lot going on behind the scenes. Alex [Trebek]
sometimes messes up a clue, so during the commercial breaks he does voice overs and rerecords a
bunch <strong>of</strong> them… They also turn the contestants around from all the scores because they may have
something pop up on accident the producers don’t want us to see.”
On a final note, Pagano mentioned that – while Jeopardy was a lot <strong>of</strong> fun – it was significantly more
challenging than school. This, she states, has given her the confidence to move forward in her studies
this year.
About the Company: <strong>East</strong> <strong>Lake</strong> <strong>Academy</strong> is a premier provider <strong>of</strong> faith-based private education in the
Chicago area. The Roman Catholic school serves children from preschool through 8th Grade and focuses
on instilling children with both a spiritual and academic foundation that will serve them well throughout
their lives. It is located near I94 and Route 176 on the west side <strong>of</strong> <strong>Lake</strong> Forest, and through the support
and encouragement <strong>of</strong> the Archdiocese <strong>of</strong> Chicago, the curriculum and opportunities continue to
expand with every passing year. For more information please visit http://eastlakeacademy.org.