The Lakeview Middle School teachers’ team won Warsaw Education Foundation’s 2023 Community Quiz Bowl on Tuesday, March 14, at the Tiger Recreational Activity Center. Team members received a trophy made by Jeff Owens and decorated by Sherri Johnson. From left: Lakeview history teacher Brandon Murphy; school counselor Emily Day; history teacher Hunter Reed; Day’s husband Ryan Day; and science teacher Mark McCollom.

Text and Photos
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Lakeview Middle School teachers proved they were smarter than eighth graders on Tuesday, March 14.

That team consisting of science teacher Mark McCollom, history teachers Brandon Murphy and Hunter Reed, school counselor Emily Day and her husband Ryan Day won Warsaw Education Foundation’s 2023 Community Quiz Bowl at the Tiger Recreational Activity Center.

They topped 56 other teams from Warsaw Community Schools, local organizations and businesses and even one consisting of Lakeview students. Trivia questions covered four categories, and to fit this year’s theme of “Are You Smarter Than An Eighth Grader?” included ones from curriculum from that grade level.

WEF Executive Director Erin Serafino said she chose this year’s theme in part as her son Mac Tucker is an eighth grader. He competed alongside his Lakeview classmates and their counterparts from Edgewood Middle School.

“I knew that a lot of teacher teams play, and … I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to bring in some kids?'” she said. “It also allowed us to narrow down the questions so we could pull them from the eighth grade curriculum, so they really are things that our eighth graders in Warsaw Schools and the state of Indiana are expected to learn.”

New this year was a trophy made by Jeff Owens and decorated by Serafino’s mother Sherri Johnson. It’s to be passed on to each winning team in successive years.

Tuesday’s event raised $24,000 for the WEF.

“This is our one fundraising event of the year, so we take all of this money and … use (it) to award the (Red Apple) Grants to (WCS) teachers,” said Serafino. “The teachers ask for all sorts of cool things for their classrooms. We have a middle school teacher next year that’s going to be launching pumpkins for a science project.”

“Anything and everything that they can relate to their curriculum and what they want to teach in creative ways with creative materials we’re willing to support, so we’ll be doing another round of grant reviews in about a month,” she added.

People are welcome to donate to WEF by using PayPal by clicking here or sending checks to Warsaw Education Foundation, P.O. Box 1343, Warsaw, IN 46581.

Serafino also encouraged people to consider putting together a team for next year’s quiz bowl.

Kids on the Lakeview Middle School eighth grade team ponder a question on one of the screens set up. From left: Levi Jones, Nate Friedberg, Mac Tucker, Rosalee Alderfer and Kacey Mitchell.

There were 57 teams that competed this year.

Posing for the camera is the Leesburg Elementary School team of, from left: Madeline Miller, Nathan Polston, Jen Miller, Cara Allebach and Stacy Huffer.

Thinking over an answer is the Maple Leaf Farms team of, from left: Pam Landon, Amanda Messer, Janelle Deatsman and Ron Buhr.