School to host fundraiser based on popular game show

Local community leaders will try and prove they are smarter than students at The Evelyn Smith Wray Village School when they participate in “Are You Smarter Than a Village Schooler?” a fundraiser based on the popular TV show “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?”

Twelve local figures will compete against fifth- and sixth-graders from The Evelyn Smith Wray Village School during the event at 6 p.m. Sept. 13 at Odell Williamson Auditorium.

Notable players include John Ingram, Brunswick County Sheriff; Rex Gore, district attorney; Marty Cooke, county commissioner; Scott Kucera, executive director of the Ocean Isle Museum Foundation Inc.; Velva Jenkins, dean of continuing education and workforce development at Brunswick Community College; and Scott Harrell, Brunswick Beacon publisher.

“We wanted to host an event with ties to education and this seemed like the perfect fit,” Clifford Strommen, the Village School’s headmaster, said. “It is sure to be a fun-filled evening for the entire family and is for a great cause. I hope for support from our community.”

Kindergarteners will help usher audience members to their seats, and the eighth-graders will run a concession stand. Other students will be involved in the planning process and help during the event.

“All of our students will be involved,” Christle Baxley, administrative assistant at the Village School, said. “From the parents I have heard from they’ve very excited about their students being able to participate. They’re so excited about their child being able to help at the event.”

The school has done fundraisers in the past, such as selling cookie dough and entertainment books, but “Are You Smarter Than a Village Schooler?” will be the school’s first planned event fundraiser.

The goal is to raise $20,000, which they plan to use to purchase computers and textbooks.

“We’re hoping to reach it and we’re excited about it,” Baxley said.

Tickets are $10 for general admission and $50 for VIP reserved seating and admission to a reception room where appetizers will be available before the show and during intermission. A limited amount of VIP seats will be sold.

Members of the community will be invited to cast their votes for People’s Choice Awards, which began Aug. 13 at www.thevillagecampus.org.

The school’s board of directors hopes the event will raise the community’s awareness of the school and help build community relations.

“Our board of directors is very big about our students working with the community,” Baxley said.

The Evelyn Smith Wray Village School was founded in 1998 and obtained its nonprofit status in 2006. The school is now pursuing its accreditation.

Sponsorships are welcome and available by calling 754-2074.

Major media sponsors include The Brunswick Beacon and Intercoastal Net Designs.

For more information, log on to www.thevillagecampus.org.