A Trivial Pursuit? Hommocks Handles the Challenge

by Amy Kriss

(May 22, 2008) At the Olympic Games, what country is always first in line during the opening ceremonies’ “parade of nations”? Which is the largest of the U.S. Great Lakes? What does the acronym “www” stand for?

If you know the answers - - - Greece, Lake Superior, and World Wide Web, you would have enjoyed yourself at the Hommocks Trivia Challenge held on Friday night, May 16th in the Hommocks gymnasium. Over 130 students participated in this live game show experience where teams of three or more answered trivia questions on a variety of subjects including geography, technology, politics, and sports.
“Tonight’s trivia challenge was fabulous”, said Mary Gibbons Gardiner, one of the parent volunteers. “The kids had a ball, the emcee kept them entertained, and it was great to see the students and teachers interacting!”

The event began with Joe Tribuzo, the evening’s master of ceremonies, asking three rounds of questions, four questions per round. Students had two minutes to complete the answers and submit them to the scorekeepers. In the second round, the teams were shown pictures and asked to identify various logos, including Nike, Champion, John Deere, and Izod. Each correct answer in this round was worth two points.
“The enthusiasm of the kids was overwhelming”, said Jaime Friedman, a scorekeeper and co-chair of the event along with Joanne Fryer and Amy Kriss.

Half time featured three teams of Hommocks teachers competing for the Teacher’s Trivia Title. The Weitzman Winners, Keane’s Team, and Mazzone’s Monsters answered questions on a variety of topics including music, pop culture, and instant message abbreviations. The winner was Keane’s team, comprised of Vice Principal Lawrence Keane, John McCormick, Marjorie Gross, Olivia Bridges and Andrew Tompkins.

The second half began with raffle drawings. Prizes included nanos, tickets to a Mets game and to The Little Mermaid on Broadway, gift certificates for local restaurants and retail shops, and various sports equipment.

The teams converged again to answer a last round of questions. At the conclusion of the final round, the room was abuzz with tension and excitement as the scorekeepers tallied the result. Over 100 students gathered arm in arm and sang along to “Seasons of Love” from the Broadway play Rent. The camaraderie and spirit throughout the evening was contagious” said Joanne Fryer.

At 9:10 there was silence in the room as the emcee prepared to announce the
winning team. At last it was known: the winners were the Rock Sandwiches, the team of Connor Bingham, Ryan Cadden, Peter Conley, Will Hoffman and Sam Friedman.

The event was a fundraiser with all proceeds going to curriculum enhancement at Hommocks School. Gloria Kushel, co-president of the Hommocks PTA said, “It was a lot of work organizing and staging the trivia event but the reward was in seeing the faces of children and adults who enjoyed an evening entirely new and entertaining.”

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