Recent game show winner Stephanie Perkins credits regional academy for success
Shown from left are Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings with recent winner and Rosati-Kain Academy 2005 graduate Stephanie Perkins. (Provided photo)
On a rainy day in 2001, Rosati-Kain freshman Stephanie Perkins’ physical education class was moved to the anatomy lab where students were doing a crossword puzzle.
Having grown up watching Jeopardy!, Perkins knew many random facts. She quickly stood out, correctly answering that pine tar is used on baseball bats to improve hitting. Afterward, teacher Bryan Kasten approached Perkins and urged her to join the academic team.
Later in her schooling, another teacher, Barb Hacker, added that Perkins should be on Jeopardy!
From there, it became a life goal.
Perkins, a 2005 Rosati-Kain graduate, recently competed and won her debut game on the Emmy-winning game show on May 1.
“The experience was so surreal and the environment is exactly what you think it is going to be,” Perkins said. “In the back of my mind, I thought I could win, so when it came down to it, I thought ‘Oh wow, I think I just won Jeopardy!’”
Perkins later went on to play another game on May 4, but took second place, taking home just under $20,000. She hopes to return to the show again.
Perkins said her competitive start began in high school, where she was just one of two freshmen on the academic team at Rosati-Kain.
Every Monday, they held practice rounds or what Perkins referred to as her buzzer training. Her team eventually went on to win second place in the Missouri State High School Activities Association district tournament.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to know everything about anything but that really evolved at Rosati,” Perkins said. “Rosati-Kain helped me become a competitive person because I had these really excellent teachers who kept me engaged. I learned a lot from them and I have carried that with me into my adulthood. Rosati is really where it all started.”
While Perkins is a math teacher and scholar bowl coach at Nerinx Hall, she added she will be a “Rosati girl forever,” crediting the support of teacher Nancy Hargis. She further encourages people to continue learning and share that knowledge, and adds that everything is worth trying.
Founded in 1911, Rosati-Kain Academy is a private, all-girls Catholic high school in the City of St. Louis, Mo. Located in the Central West End, it provides an innovative Catholic education, cultivating the talents and aspirations of diverse young women. The school became independently sponsored by St. Joseph Educational Ministries in 2023 after an alumnae effort, and continues its mission to create the next generation of change-making women. For additional information, visit www.rosati-kain.org.
