Newton North High School English teacher Adam George finished with $5,000 on a Halloween-themed episode of Wheel of Fortune that aired Thursday, Oct. 29.
About 50 colleagues gathered at Otto’s Pizza in Newtonville to watch, George estimated in an interview with Fig City News.
George earned $3,000 during the timed opening segment and another $2,000 by solving a Triple Toss-Up puzzle. He finished behind Caroline Rogers of Philadelphia, who earned $5,500, and Randolph “Moe” Moultrie of Wilmington, North Carolina.
Moultrie won $76,724 in cash and prizes after adding a $45,000 bonus-round prize, according to WECT.
George joined Newton North in 2016. His television appearance followed recognition for his classroom work: he received the Brenda Keegan Award for Excellence in Teaching in May.
The award, established by Keegan’s friends and family upon her retirement in 2010, recognizes one educator at each Newton high school who helps students think critically and creatively and connect their studies to their lives, according to the school’s awards page.
In a June profile by The Newtonite, students described George as a teacher who built their confidence in writing and made it easier to ask for help.
The student newspaper reported that his courses included English 9, Action Through Literature, and Art and Technique in Film. Beyond the classroom, he advised the Gender and Sexuality Alliance and participated in Dover Legacy Scholars.
