Teacher Parent Synergy

Last year when a group of Ventura High School students faced off against some elders in a quiz contest, the use of buzzers to ring in an answer worked to the advantage of the youngsters.

The teenagers won 380 to 248 in a “Jeopardy”-style game of knowledge they played against their opponents in Suz Montgomery’s Extended Learning Academy at the Ventura TowneHouse.

This year, Montgomery decided to revamp the format of the Senior Knowledge Bowl. She eliminated the buzzers and let each team answer questions by turn within 10 seconds.

Without the advantage of speed, the oldsters beat the youngsters in a tightly fought race, with 12 correct answers to 11 correct answers out of a total of 30 questions. There were a number of questions neither team answered correctly.

“This is so great because last year, they beat us and this year, we beat them. This proves we’re back,” Montgomery said.

She started the contest as a way of bridging the age gap between the kids and the seniors, allowing everyone to enjoy a fun afternoon of competition.

Lorelle Dawes, assistant principal at Ventura High School, was the moderator for the second year. Dawes said she feels the Senior Knowledge Bowl is a great experience for the high school students.

“It’s great for the students to be able to share their knowledge and have fun with a group they would not otherwise interact with,” she said.

Ventura Unified School District Superintendent Trudy Arriaga said she is disappointed the district has had to cut some of its funding for the TowneHouse adult learning program, but she and the district remain committed to adult education.

“What this does is give the kids an appreciation for longevity and wisdom, and it brings the seniors an appreciation for the bright, enthusiastic, innovative minds we’ve been doing our best to mold,” Arriaga said. “This is a fun event for both sides of the table.”

Representing the seniors were Bill Reach, 80, a retired businessman; and retired teachers Mary T. Ayers, 74; Ethel Johndoff, 62; and Don Haskell, 68. Haskell, who taught in Ventura schools for more than 30 years, said he had been preparing by watching the news and playing practice rounds along with “Jeopardy” on television.

Representing Ventura High School were Lucas Souza, 18, a senior who plans to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo; Doug Petree, 18, a senior who plans to attend Loyola Marymoun University, Matt Roberts, a senior who plans to attend San Jose State University; and Tanner Shelton, 17, a junior who has yet to decide which college he will attend. All described themselves as knowledge enthusiasts who spend free time watching the History Channel.

After the contest ended, the high school students were smiling, saying they enjoyed matching wits with their elders.

Linda Brug, who coached the students who were all competitors in the countywide Knowledge Bowl, where the team came in third this year, said the change in format was a decisive factor.

“We were surprised at what a difference not having the buzzers made,” she said. “Both teams did really well.”

Brug wrote the questions for the contest using a combination of current events, such as “Name an automobile company that has already paid back its government loan.”

The seniors answered incorrectly with Ford Motor Co., and the juniors answered General Motors, which was correct, as was Chrysler.

Brug also wrote questions of a more historical nature, such as “When Charles Lindbergh soloed across the Atlantic in 1927, what did he bring along to keep him company?” Neither team was able to give the correct answer, a Felix the Cat doll.

While the seniors were happy to win the contest, they acknowledged it was a tough race that could have gone either way.

“It was just dumb luck that we won,” Reach said.

Similar Posts:

• Ventura students compete in Battle of the Books
• Blaze of Glory
• College board refines goals for district
• VC child center gets $1 million from foundation
• Ventura independent study school honored

Tags: Face, Face Knowledge

No Comments yet »