A competition was recently held at Stuart Cramer High School in Belmont where 18 teams of adults and fifth graders competed in the “Are You Smarter than a Gaston County Fifth Grader?” contest. This was a fundraiser for the Gaston County Education Foundation. Banner printing companies are often used for such events so that the community can stay informed of such fundraising efforts.
There were high-achieving fifth graders paired with four adults from local businesses on each team. Topics were questions at the elementary school level and included history, math, science, and the language arts. There were also two fifth-grade coaches for each team.
Among the teams were North Belmont Elementary paired with the Gastonia East Rotary Club and Pleasant Ridge Elementary paired with Gastonia Grizzlies/GSM Services. However, the Lowell Elementary/Dominion Energy team won first place for the second year in a row, with the Next Generation/Kiser Elementary and Pharr Yarns/McAdenville Elementary teams winning second and third place, respectively.
The event was emceed by Steve D’Avria, President of the Gaston Regional Chamber of Commerce. Gaston County Jaycees volunteers helped the teams with writing their answers on the dry-erase boards that were provided on the stage.
The Foundation received $50,000 from the event. The money came primarily through corporate sponsorships and ticket sales for the event and is used for innovative teaching initiatives and grants for classroom projects.