(above) 1st place winners
Cranford Fund for Educational Excellence Hosts 4th Annual Trivia Night
Proceeds to benefit grant requests for innovation and excellence in our classrooms
The Cranford Fund for Educational Excellence (CFEE) hosted its 4th Annual Trivia Night competition on Saturday, February 23, 2019 at the Kenilworth VFW. Nearly 400 people were in attendance, with 38 teams vying for the championship. The competition was strong, music by DJ Randy Geis was lively, and spirits were high. Emcees for the evening, Gary Pascal and Stephanie Kwiatkowski, presented eight rounds of tough questions created by a board committee that was led by Trivia Master, Brian Andrews.
CFEE proudly featured the 47 businesses and 20 families who sponsored the event ranging from $100 to $1,000, with Boxcar serving as a Facilities Director sponsor along with Dreyer Farms, TimberRidge Construction, Westfield Collision Center, Keating Physical Therapy, Lincoln Investments/Patrick Bergin, and Julie and Jim Murphy, CHS ’78 as Academic Deans.
With team entry fees, 500+ raffle tickets sold in the 50/50, and philanthropic donations, more than $30,000 was raised and the proceeds from the event will help to fund this year’s requests made by our District’s educators.
Jennifer Mehr, Co-President and Fundraising Chair, was delighted with this year’s turnout that sets the bar higher each year. She thanked the generous sponsors for this year’s event and further shared, “More than $60,000 in funds are requested annually in recent years and since we only can fund what we raise, I invite individuals and families to match the 67 sponsors by making a gift of $100 or more toward this year’s available funds.” For a full list of sponsors, clever team names, or to make a donation please visit our website at cranfordfund.org.
The trivia scores were extremely close, ranging from 31 to 49.5 out of a possible 58, so it was anyone’s trophy for the taking! 1st Place with 49.5 points- Team Trivia Prosciutto: Antonio Pugliese, Frannie Pugliese, Jeff Sampson, Kirsten Sampson, Ameet Doshi, Kim O’Malley, John Futey, Meryl Futey, Tiffany Davitt, Mike Davitt. 2nd Place with 49 points-Team Trivia Newton-John: Abbie Signore, Chris Signore, Beth Rees, Sean Rees, Jen Lenza, Chris Lenza, Christine Delre, Matt Delre, Claire Cooper, Ryan Cooper; In a sudden death tie-breaker for 3rd Place between Kathleen Turner Overdrive and Reimagine We Won, Reimagine took the spot: Team members: Rich Saccone, Amy Saccone, Joe Colangelo, Sarah Colangelo, Arthur Hearns, Diana Hearns, Tom Connolly, Laura Connolly, Ryan Youtsey, Jenny Smoot.
Our trivia teams this year were more creative than ever! Our Spirit Awards reflect the amazing amount of fun that was had by all at this special event. Class Clown — The Shenanigans: Kristen Mider, Zach Mider, Kerry Durante, Anthony Durante, Genna Degan, Anthony Shapella, Madhavi Guven, Murat Guven, Jessica Sinnot, George Sinnot; Most Likely to Succeed – Alexa, Tell Me About Cranford: Kathleen Streicher, Steve Streicher, Amy Smith, Jason Smith, Manoly Reynolds, Keith Reynolds, Christine Dyer, Bill Dyer, Sarah Benish Adel, Matt Adel; Most Team Spirited — Trivia Newton-John: Abbie Signore, Chris Signore, Beth Rees, Sean Rees, Jen Lenza, Chris Lenza, Christine Delre, Matt Delre, Claire Cooper, Ryan Cooper; Best Dressed — Quizteama Aquilera: Nicole Kessler, Matt Kessler, Nutan Rubinson, Eric Rubinson, Lauren Aulson, Dan Aulson, Melissa Switzer, Jake Switzer, Marcy Duarte, Brian Perkins
The Cranford Fund for Educational Excellence, relaunched in 2014, is a nonprofit, Cranford-based foundation that supports excellence and innovation in the Cranford public schools by generating resources through community involvement. The grants are awarded to teachers and staff who apply for them, and benefit students across the school district. Since 2016, the CFEE has awarded nearly $70,000 in grants in categories such as: Differentiated or personalized education, technology integration and 21st-century skills, innovation zones/makerspaces, and classroom design.
If you’d like more information or to contribute to this year’s efforts, please visit our website at www.cranfordfund.org. You also may send a check to PO Box 1627,
Cranford, NJ 07016.
(above) 2nd place winners
(above) 3rd place winners
