Teams answer the call of annual Smart-a-Thon tournament at USC Verdugo Hills
Members of the “Bibliophiles” team consider answers as they go through the test during the Smart-a-Thon at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital in Glendale on Wednesday, March 16, 2016. The annual event is in its 28th year, sponsored by the Mary Pinola & Crescenta Valley Chamber Education Fund.
Thirty teams were huddled under the same roof on Wednesday as they slogged through 68 trivia questions during the annual Smart-a-Thon tournament.
It was the 28th installment of the annual fundraiser for local schools, held at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital.
Despite the event’s name, the endgame isn’t to find out which team is the most intelligent.
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“They’re impossible questions that aren’t designed to find out who’s the smartest, but who could get through,” said Steve Pierce, president of the Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce, one of the tournament’s organizers.
Example: “In the 1970s, what percentage of Americans frequently spent time with their neighbors?” or “which of the following is not a paraprosdokian figure of speech?”
However, there had to be a winner, and this year it was the hospital’s own team, followed by Rep. Adam Schiff’s (D-Burbank) team in second place.
Steve Pierce, of Montrose, shows off his super prowess as Dr. Cynthia Livingston looks on during the annual Smart-a-Thon at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital in Glendale on Wednesday, March 16, 2016.
In previous years, students from Clark Magnet High School took first place.
The top honor of the day, however, went to the Mary Pinola & Crescenta Valley Chamber Education Fund in the form of donations.
Since the first Smart-a-Thon, the fund has raised more than $186,000 that’s paid for many school projects and improvements, such as the purchase of two new flugelhorns for Crescenta Valley High’s jazz band. Also, about $3,000 was spent on nine new Chromebooks for Dunsmore Elementary students.
A test-taker selects an answer at the 28th annual Smart-a-Thon at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital in Glendale on Wednesday, March 16, 2016.
“The Crescenta Valley community has had a tradition of supporting education,” said Suzanna Risse, principal of Monte Vista Elementary School. “They have high expectations for their students. It just transfers to every aspect of the community.”
Risse’s team name was “The Real Principals of La Crescenta,” made of a few other principals from the area.
The trivia questions were all multiple choice and, despite the tough questions, it’s all in fun, said Mary Pinola, the foundation’s namesake and event organizer.
“It’s fun, and we raise money for a good cause. A lot of people have been coming for all 28 Smart-a-Thons, and we just try to keep it fresh and make the test fun,” she said. “Nobody’s embarrassed.”
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Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com
Twitter: @ArinMikailian
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