Birmingham Teacher To Appear on Jeopardy! Friday

BIRMINGHAM, MI — A Birmingham teacher is competing in this week’s “Jeopardy!” Teachers Tournament. Susannah Nichols, a high school English teacher at The Roeper School, will appear on the Alex Trebek-led quiz show Friday. The show will air at 7:30 p.m. on Channel 4 WDIV-TV.

The two-week event started Monday and gives teachers across the country a chance to compete for $100,000 and a place in the next "Jeopardy!" Tournament of Champions. Each contestant also receives a $2,500 grant for classroom projects from Farmers Insurance.

Nichols plans to use her $2,500 to purchase works by African-American and American Indian writers. It’s part of a National Council of Teachers of English initiative, the Detroit Free Press reported.

"In the process, we've discussed the gaps in our library's collection — we don't have nearly enough texts by writers of color or other under-represented voices,” Nichols said in a news release. “Students are asking for these sorts of books!"

Trebek and Jeopardy are in their 33rd season of syndication and pull in some 23 million viewers each week. The show has won a record 33 Emmy Awards, a record for television game shows, according to a news release.

Photo courtesy of Jeopardy Productions