A central Ohio teacher is set to test his trivia knowledge on national television this week.
Will Thornton, a computer technology teacher at Thomas Worthington High School, will appear on the May 12 episode of the long-running quiz show “Jeopardy!,” according to an announcement shared by the school district.
“Will will appear on Jeopardy! on Tuesday, May 12, after keeping the news secret since his taping back in March,” Worthington Schools said in a Facebook post. “We can’t wait to watch and cheer him on.”
Thornton is a graduate of Little Miami High School, a school in southern Warren County, where he was a standout member of the school’s academic team. In its own social media post, Little Miami Local Schools said Thornton, a member of the class of 2014, led the team to back-to-back Southwest Ohio Conference (SWOC) championships and earned consecutive SWOC Player of the Year honors in 2013 and 2014.
The district also noted that Thornton’s appearance marks the second straight year a Little Miami alum has competed on the show, following former contestant Thomas Sweeney in 2025.
Beyond the classroom, Thornton has also helped grow esports opportunities at Thomas Worthington.
Thornton founded the school’s esports program, according to prior reporting from the student-run publication TWHS News. In the article, Thornton described esports as a rapidly growing activity in Ohio schools and colleges, pointing to scholarship opportunities and increasing student participation.
Thornton has worked at Thomas Worthington High School since 2022, according to the school.
“Jeopardy!” airs weekdays, though local broadcast times vary by market. In central Ohio, the show airs at 7 p.m. on WBNS-10TV.
Trending reporter Amani Bayo can be reached at abayo@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: You can see a central Ohio high school teacher on ‘Jeopardy!’ this week
Reporting by Amani Bayo, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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