As Schools Match Wits

Created by Westfield State University alumnus Leonard Collamore, As Schools Match Wits (ASMW) is an academic competition featuring some of the region’s top high school students.  First broadcast in October 1961, ASMW is in production of its 63rd season as of March 2024

In 2006, the program faced an uncertain future when its longstanding home, WWLP in Springfield, reluctantly canceled the program to align its schedule with the requirements of a new parent company.  The show was kept on the air through a creative partnership between WWLP and the show's new co-producers: Westfield State University and NEPM.

The program is produced on the campus of Westfield State by a crew comprised of students and alumni from the university, and airs each week on NEPM, Springfield’s local public television station. The partnership that the keeps the As Schools Match Wits tradition alive truly is an example of public education and public media at its best.

A Commitment to Secondary Education
ASMW draws the majority of its content from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education curriculum frameworks, and allows students to demonstrate and celebrate their academic achievement. Up to 50 high schools from the region compete on As Schools Match Wits each season.  In recent years the Massachusetts Teachers Association has been the major underwriter for the show.

A Commitment to Higher Education
What sets ASMW apart from other educational programming is the fact that it is produced on the Westfield State University campus by a crew comprised of students and alumni in a unique and creative partnership with NEPM. Production of the program provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to develop their skills in the context of a weekly broadcast show, an invaluable learning lab. The quality of the work our students are capable of is reflected in the number of industry awards As Schools Match Wits has won since coming to Westfield State University.