Powell River will have the chance to see if some of its most beloved community members are smarter than a sixth-grade student.
Meant as a fun and humorous event to raise money for early learning services, Who is Smarter Than a Sixth Grader? will pit some of the most well known names in town against some of the sharpest young minds in town to find out who can make the grade.
Contending in the event will be community volunteer extraordinaire Bill Hopkins, environmentalist and Powell River Showgirlz leader CaroleAnn Leishman, martial arts master Frank Clayton, Modern Windows and Siding co-owner Gary Dietrich, Peak publisher Joyce Carlson and Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons.
Success by 6 coordinator Dylan Young said the contestants were chosen because they are notable community members and because they have personalities that will serve them well on stage and prove entertaining for the audience. Just how much they remember from elementary school and how much the curriculum has changed since they were there should make for a fun and challenging show, said Young.
“There’s been a lot of positive interest gathering around this event,” said Young. “It’ll be really intriguing to see the looks on faces when all of our participants are on stage and doing what they do.”
The night will play out in a game-show format, with the contestants answering predetermined questions collected from grade one to six students throughout School District 47, based on school curriculum. The contestants will take the stage one at a time to answer questions and will receive a certain number of points for right answers depending on the grade level of the question. Contestants can only answer three questions incorrectly, however, before being eliminated.
Students will take part in the game too. Each contestant will be paired up with three grade six students from schools in the district. These students will act as the contestants’ lifelines and can be called upon for help if the contestant is stuck.
All proceeds from the event will go toward the ORCA (On the Road With Children’s Activities) Bus, a converted school bus that travels throughout the community and beyond, bringing games, books and educational activities to children. The bus requires maintenance and operating funds and Success by 6 organizers eventually will have to replace it. Having a mobile early childhood learning classroom allows the agency to reach children in farther reaching communities such as Texada Island and Tla’Amin (Sliammon) First Nation and reduces carbon emissions by bringing one bus to many instead of many to one place.
The event starts at 6:30 pm on Thursday, April 7 at Max Cameron Theatre. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children age six to 18, $20 for a four-member family and free for children under five. Tickets are available at Powell River Academy of Music, Breakwater Books and Coffee, First Credit Union, Brooks Secondary School and River City Coffee.
