Teacher from NJ Appears on Iconic Game Show ‘Wheel of Fortune’

Local Teacher from NJ Appears on Iconic Game Show 'Wheel of Fortune'

A teacher from Passaic County recently competed in a future episode of "Wheel of Fortune," which would test his word puzzle skills.

This week, an episode of the popular game show "Wheel of Fortune" will premiere in which Andrew Smith, an eighth-grade social studies teacher at Christopher Columbus Middle School in Clifton, competed.

Representatives from Clifton Public School claim that Smith's family enrolled him last year "as a joke" after he demonstrated remarkable talent on the game show's app.

Smith was interviewed by the "Wheel of Fortune" crew a week later.

Smith was asked whether he would like to represent Christopher Columbus Middle School on the show's "Teachers' Week" during the process. According to school representatives, he eagerly replied yes.

On April 24, he took a plane to California to participate in the game show, which has won an Emmy for 50 years.

Mr. Smith, a 2019 Montclair State University graduate, began his career with Clifton Public Schools in February 2020. Since then, he has become an integral part of the school community, not only in the classroom but also as a baseball and basketball coach at Clifton High School. Reflecting on his experience in Clifton, he shared:

“From the moment I arrived, I knew I was going to love it here. The staff at Christopher Columbus were and are so welcoming and supportive, and I’ve never once thought about leaving because I truly enjoy being part of this community,” Mr. Smith said. “I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. In college, I explored different paths, but I found my calling in social studies.

While it wasn’t my favorite subject growing up, I love teaching it, especially in 8th grade. I like to say that we are all teachers, but I am not just a social studies teacher. I use social studies as a tool to build the skills my students need to be successful. As big as the community of Clifton is, we are fortunate to have such a close community that shares the same values and wants every student to be the best they can be.”

Tune in on Wednesday, September 17, at 7:30 PM on ABC to cheer him on and celebrate this exciting achievement.