Gastonia, N.C. – Sadler Elementary won the Are You Smarter Than a Gaston County Fifth Grader competition held February 9 at Forestview High School. Sadler shared the championship trophy with its business partner, Community Foundation of Gaston County, which helped the students to win the challenging contest.
The Gaston County Education Foundation sponsored the event and raised $23,000 to fund the Ron L. Ensley mini-grants. The mini-grants are awarded each year to GCS teachers to enhance classroom learning and support academic programs.
"I've never seen adults and children have so much fun raising money,” said Gaston County Education Foundation Executive Director Jennie Stultz. “The event was a perfect example of how businesses can partner with schools to invest in educational excellence."
Lewis Efird, President of United Oil of the Carolinas, presented the Gaston County Education Foundation with a $10,000 check prior to the competition.
“We chose the Gaston County Education Foundation due to the need of education funding in our area,” explained Efird. “We hope the teachers and students will use the money provided by the Gaston County Education Foundation to inspire, create and make a difference in Gaston County Schools.”
Carmen Schultz was mistress of ceremonies for the thrilling program that partnered each of the 12 schools with a corporate sponsor. The school teams and business leaders participated in a series of question-and-answer rounds to determine the finalists.
The championship round was exciting and extremely difficult as the Sadler team faced W.A. Bess Elementary and Woodhill Elementary. Sadler correctly answered the final question – What is our national flower – to win the competition. (The answer is rose.)
“I, along with our staff and students, are truly ecstatic about winning Are You Smarter Than a Gaston County Fifth Grader,” said Sadler principal Rebekah Duncan. “This is a tremendous honor for our fifth grade students and for our school. We were blessed with a wonderful business partner, Community Foundation of Gaston County, and we are so grateful for their willingness to partner with us for this exciting event.”
Efird who was fortunate to be placed on the championship team said, “The Sadler students were smart and bailed us out on a couple of questions.”
Sadler Elementary was not the only school to claim a trophy. Bess Elementary and its corporate sponsors, Summit Eye Associates/Hannon Orthodontics, were presented with the second place trophy. Woodhill Elementary and its corporate sponsor, BB&T, were presented with the third place trophy.
McAdenville Elementary and its corporate sponsor, Pharr Yarns, won the spirit award, which was given to the team that showed the most character and energy during the competition. Bessemer City Central and its corporate sponsor, Hunter Douglas, won the partnership award, which was given to the team that showed the most camaraderie between a business partner and school.
The contest featured the following schools and sponsors:
- Beam Intermediate and Beam Construction
- Belmont Central Elementary and Sun Drop
- W.A. Bess Elementary and Summit Eye Associates/Hannon Orthodontics
- Bessemer City Central Elementary and Hunter Douglas
- Gardner Park Elementary and Tindol Ford-Lincoln-Subaru
- Lowell Elementary and PSNC Energy
- McAdenville Elementary and Pharr Yarns
- Rankin Elementary and American and Efird
- Rhyne Elementary and Leadership Gaston/Gastonia Sheet Metal
- Sadler Elementary and Community Foundation of Gaston County
- Sherwood Elementary and Allen Tate Realtors
- Woodhill Elementary and BB&T
To view a slideshow of pictures from Are You Smarter Than a Gaston County Fifth Grade, please click here.
The Are You Smarter Than A Gaston County Fifth Grader competition will air on the Gaston County Schools Education Station. Broadcast times will be posted on Channel 21.