Kiser Elementary School wins annual “Are You Smarter” competition

The Kiser Elementary and Next Generation school/business team was the winner of the annual “Are You Smarter Than a Gaston County Fifth Grader?” competition held on Thursday, February 8 at Stuart W. Cramer High School.

This year, the competition got a special touch with a “Storybook” theme. Teams dressed up as characters from favorite books, which added a fun twist. They battled it out in three rounds, answering tough questions about everything from music to math. The tension was high with some ties at the end of rounds, thus making tiebreaker questions crucial for deciding finalists.

Each school is partnered with a business or organization. Kiser Elementary/Nex Generation, Rankin Elementary/Clariant Corporation, and New Hope Elementary/CaroMont Health advanced to the championship round. Kiser Elementary, which dressed as characters from the young adult novel “Holes,” emerged victorious after correctly answering the question: What percentage of the earth’s surface is covered with water? The answer: 75 percent.

The Gaston County Education Foundation organized the “Are You Smarter” competition, and Tindol Suburu and Wells Fargo were the title sponsors. Additional sponsors included CaroMont Health, Local Market/United Oil of the Carolinas, and Allen Tate.

The game show-like event isn’t just about winning – it’s about helping the community, according to Amy Spencer, executive director of the Gaston County Education Foundation. The “Are You Smarter Than a Gaston County Fifth Grader?” competition has become a cornerstone of community support for education, raising approximately $47,000 this year. The funds support initiatives like the Ron L. Ensley Grants and the Jennie Stultz Grants for Art Education, which provide teachers with resources for innovative classroom lessons and activities.

Here is a list of the award winners:

First Place: Kiser Elementary and Next Generation
Second Place: Rankin Elementary and Clariant Corporation
Third Place: New Hope Elementary and CaroMont Health
Best Theme: Rankin Elementary and Clariant Corporation
People’s Choice Award: Brookside Elementary and Courage Kia
Mascot Award: Sherwood Elementary and Wells Fargo

Other school/business teams participating in the competition were:

W.B. Beam Intermediate and Fleetnet America
Belmont Central Elementary and Piedmont Lithium
W.A. Bess Elementary and Rotary Club of Gastonia
Catawba Heights Elementary and SteelFab
Chapel Grove Elementary and GEMS
Gardner Park Elementary and Tindol Subaru
Lowell Elementary and Dominion Energy
McAdenville Elementary and McAdenville Woman’s Club
North Belmont Elementary and Gastonia East Rotary Club
Pleasant Ridge Elementary and GSM Services
Pinewood Elementary and Freightliner
Robinson Elementary and Encore Bank
Sadler Elementary and Firestone Fibers and Textiles