Hen Hud Teacher Wins $100,000 in Jeopardy! Tournament
Hendrick Hudson High School science teacher Francois Barcomb put the district on the map last week when he won the 2019 Jeopardy! Teachers Tournament and the $100,000 top prize.
Calm, cool and collected, Barcomb, 50, who has taught 14 years in Hendrick Hudson, outlasted 14 other educators during the two-week competition.
Barcomb, who resides in New Paltz, dominated the two-day finals portion of the tournament against two other finalists. He built up a commanding lead last Thursday by earning $20,400 and remained steady on Friday to finish with a total of $41,600—$9,600 more than the runner-up.
“It was fun, exciting and stressful to watch Francois compete. He regularly referenced the district and his colleagues, and he represented the district as an outstanding professional,” said Hendrick Hudson Superintendent of Schools Joseph Hochreiter. “We’re all very excited for him!”
“Congratulations to Francois!,” said Board of Education President Barbara Pettersen. “The district was well represented by his outstanding achievement on Jeopardy. We all are very proud of him!”
In the early rounds of the tournament, the May 8 episode was screened in the Hendrick Hudson High School auditorium, with all proceeds donated to Alex’s Army, an effort to support high school student Alex Figueroa and her family as Figueroa undergoes cancer treatment.
Jeopardy! flew Barcomb to Culver City, California to film the 2019 Jeopardy! Teachers Tournament.
“Jeopardy! was very good to us, paying for our flights, hotel rooms and a small stipend,” Barcomb said prior to his winning performance.
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