HPHS Math Teacher to Compete on Jeopardy! on September 15

Highland Park High School math teacher Andy Anderson recently fulfilled his longtime dream of competing on Jeopardy! when he was a contestant on the show that will air on Tuesday, September 15.

Having been a fan since the 1980s, Anderson has been trying to land an appearance on the iconic game show hosted by Alex Trebek since he was a high schooler in the early 1990s. He tried out for the show’s teen tournament and then as a college student before advancing to the mock game/interview portion of the main show a few times during the 2000s.

It wasn’t until 2010 when he finally got a call for an in-person audition, but did not get called for the show during the 18 months he was in the contestant pool.

But this summer, he was invited again and participated in the in-person audition on August 16.

“I started catching up on recent shows--I had about 85 unwatched episodes on my DVR,” he told District 113 staff. “Once the summer school program I work at Northwestern University ended on August 7, I started reviewing using flash cards of old Jeopardy! questions.”

Three days after the audition, he was notified he was selected as a contestant and just had a few days until the taping date for the show he would eventually appear in.

At that point, the preparations became even more intense.

“Because I have a math mind, wagering strategy came easy thanks to the work done by a website, The Final Wager,” he said. “At the audition, everybody gets to take a home a Jeopardy! pen that is shaped roughly like the buzzer, so I began watching episodes while standing with the buzzer pen in hand.”

Count his boss, Math Department Chair Debby Finn, as one who will be rooting for him come Tuesday.

“The Math Department is so excited for Andy,” she said, “Since I have known Andy, this has been a dream of his.”