The Hosts

For 20 seasons, Jim Jeannotte has been the host of the Granite State Challenge, testing the quick recall of high school students from across the state. His easy manner and quick wit have eased the jitters of many a contestant, and earned him the respect and affection of a generation of high school teams.

The Judges

Mary Reilly Potter

In one way or another, Mary Reilly Potter has been involved with Granite State Challenge for almost the entire run of the show. In addition to serving as judge she has also coached three teams from Portsmouth High School, one of which won the SuperChallenge against Dover High during the 1991-1992 season. That same team, comprised of six boys, went on to compete in the Panasonic Academic Challenge at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.

A graduate of Regis College in Weston, MA. with a BA in English, Mary has also earned an MSEd from the University of New England. Early in her career Mary taught at Natick High School in Massachussetts. Starting in 1980 she spent 26 years at Portsmouth High School as an English teacher and department chair, and has recently retired from the profession.

Mary recalls her many years of association with Granite State Challenge with fondness marveling especially at the varied knowledge of all the talented high school students.

Jim McShane

A long time judge for Granite State Challenge, Jim McShane recently became an octogenarian - 80 years young this past summer!

Although born in Springfield MA, Jim was brought up in Dover, NH and attended the local schools graduating from Dover High School in 1945.

After spending a short time in the US Navy at the end of World War II, Jim graduated from Keene Teachers College in 1951 with a BE degree. His first teaching assignment was in Fremont, NH instructing 7th and 8th grade students. Following that Jim returned to Dover and taught 42 7th graders in the upstairs portion of the Dover Public Library while waiting for the new Woodman Park School to open. When it did he spent six years there and then became the head teacher at Sawyer School.

In 1961 Jim made the leap to administration when he became the Principal at Horne Street Elementary School. He spent 31 years as Principal there and loved every minute of it. While at Horne Street school he earned his MS degree.

Jim retired after 41 years in Education. These days, In addition to working for Granite State Challenge, Jim spends his time traveling with his loving wife of 55 years, Jeanne. They have been to Ireland, Canada, and western parts of the United States. They have three children and six grandchildren.

Ann Boulanger

Ann has been affiliated with Granite State Challenge since 1989 when she began writing questions for the program. After the show began purchasing questions from a quiz bowl service she continued working behind the scenes editing, proofreading, and making corrections as needed. More recently she has been called to serve in a more visible role ... as judge!

A 1966 graduate of Dover High School, Ann went on to study at the University of New Hampshire where, in 1970, she earned a BA in History with a minor in Education. While pursuing her Master's Degree she worked a short while at Dimond library on the campus of UNH. In 1972, Ann finally donned her teacher's cap taking a position in the Social Studies department at Portsmouth High School. Following the closure of Pease Air Force Base in 1991 the impact on the Portsmouth School System was so great that Ann was transferred to Portsmouth Middle School where she would teach seventh grade for the next five years. In 1996 Ann returned to teaching at the high school and spent ten years there before retiring from the profession in 2006.

Perhaps one of Ann's favorite Granite State Challenge memories was when one of the team members from Portsmouth High School complained to her about the difficulty of one of the questions on the program only to find out that it was Ann who had written it!

Ann's hobbies include cooking (especially desserts!), gardening, reading and traveling. She hopes to one day travel to Antarctica!