Hopkinton High School students set to appear on GBH’s High School Quiz Show are (from left) Pranamya Keshkamat, Abhishek Vijay and Ishan Ramesh. Not shown is fourth member Alex Stephan. PHOTO/LIZ FRIAR

Students from Hopkinton High School are among 17 Massachusetts teams to compete on Season 16 of “High School Quiz Show.”

The award-winning academic tournament on GBH2 premieres Feb. 8 at 6 p.m., while Hopkinton’s opening-round match against Mansfield High School airs March 15.

Last year, Mansfield defeated Hopkinton in the second round. Lexington High School won the tournament.

The four main HHS team members this year are Pranamya Keshkamat, Abhishek Vijay, Ishan Ramesh and Alex Stephan.

Abhishek and Ishan competed on the show last year, and Pranamya was the alternate. All four members of the team are seniors.

Coach/advisor Mason Challinor indicated the competition is helpful in two ways for students.

He said it provides a community where knowledge is “inherently valuable for its own sake,” which helps counter some “all-too-common feelings connecting grades and knowledge to an unhealthy degree.”

Also, Challinor said competitions of this nature help build awareness of the players’ strengths and weaknesses.

He said as the team is being constructed and strategy is discussed, “members must be aware of their own strengths and weaknesses to make sure that the team has a well-rounded knowledge base instead of just four experts in overlapping areas.”

Challinor said he has heard players apologize for missing questions in their niche area “only to have their teammates respond by building them up.”

Added the coach: “That level of kindness and self-awareness stems directly from our time together and is great to see.”

Teams are quizzed on topics including literature, history, civics, science, geography, math, the arts, pop culture, sports and current events.

The winning team receives gold medals, a trophy, a school banner and $1,000 for its school. The runner-up receives silver medals and $500 for its school.

“High School Quiz Show” is hosted by Joe Hanson and can be watched on the High School Quiz Show YouTube channel, as well as GBH2 and PBS Passport.