23rd Annual Trivia Bee Competition Was Tight

On Sunday March 25th, the Arlington Education Foundation hosted the 23rd annual Arlington Trivia Bee at Town Hall. Thirty-two teams of three adults participated in a multi-round competition that covered topics ranging from history, sports and current events to science, music and literature. Town Hall was packed with over 300 people who turned out to cheer for friends and enjoy an afternoon of trivial pursuits.

In the first round of the Trivia Bee, seven teams of fifth-graders, one team from each elementary school, faced off in their own competition. The kids proudly showed off their knowledge on a wide variety of subjects. In the end, the Stratton School team of Mia Vakoc, Iain Broomell, Manu Mahenthiran earned the trophy which will live at Stratton till next year.

The adult teams represented a wide variety of Arlington’s civic organizations and interest groups, including the “The Cyrus Dallinators” of Dallin School, “Mental Health Mavens” of the Board of Youth Services, and “Artisocrats” of the Arlington Center for the Arts, to name a few. Several teams were comprised of neighborhood groups or friends. In addition to creative team names, many teams wore themed hats -- or full costumes -- which added a touch of silliness to the competition.

Teams were challenged with questions like “Installed in 2017 as a symbol of gender equality, what bronze statue of a ponytailed girl in a windblown dress stands defiantly in front of Wall Street’s Charging Bull statue? (answer: Fearless Girl) and “Also known as “that thing with the cups that spin,” what common weather station instrument measures the speed of wind?”
(answer: anemometer).

After four rounds of questions and a playoff round, the winning team was clear: “Quizzical Responsibility” made up of Arlington elected officials including Jennifer Susse (School Committee), Joe Curro (Selectman), Dean Carman (Treasurer) took home the trophy for the 2018 Arlington Trivia Bee.

The best costume award went to the school committee team. Kirsi Allison-Ampe, Jeff Thielman, and Paul Schlichtman were decorated in colorful Easter peeps to illustrate their team name, “Growing by Peeps and Bounds.”

The free event is always a fun afternoon for participants as well as for spectators who enjoy the kids’ activities, live music, and a chance to whisper correct answers to each other during the event or even win prizes by answering the Audience Participation trivia questions.

This year’s Trivia Bee was supported by a growing number of local businesses that support AEF’s goals of enhancing public education in Arlington. We are especially grateful to our two platinum sponsors: Arlington Orthodontics and Belmont Orthodontics. Many thanks go to our two gold sponsors: Villandry Contracting and Zipwall Dust Barrier Solutions. AEF is fortunate to have several silver sponsors: Brookline Bank, East Cambridge Savings Bank, Leader Bank, McLean Hospital, Mirak Automotive Group, Quad Cycles, Running Brook Camps and Watertown Savings Bank.

AEF provides grants for system-wide initiatives and creative new projects to enhance the educational experience of Arlington’s teachers and students. Community donations enable AEF to award approximately $100,000 annually in grants to the Arlington Public Schools. For more information on AEF and its grants, visit www.aefma.org.