Lions roll to three-peat in Knowledge Bowl….

The middleschoolers were well-dressed & well-prepared, led by (from left) Courtney, Sam, Melanie & Carter.

Last night’s Knowledge Bowl was fun, as it has been for 17 years now.

Savannah & Hannah dressed up as atoms for a little skit, which included being asked, "Are you sure you're not an electron?" and they said, "We're positive." And the crowd got it.

The annual event at the Community Theatre features seven teams (three of kids, four of service club-related adults) trying to knock down the answers to questions posed by MC & ace social studies teacher Jim McNairy all evening, while the audience buzzes along with them, with their guesses & knowledge. Great fun, as teams surprised with some answers, came close on others, and had fun with the rest: The Soroptimists answered: “What is the significance of the book’s title Fahrenheit 451?” with “the temperature of hell.”

In the end, the Lions Club won for the third straight year, shaking off challengers and Jim’s comparing them & their swagger to the Yankees, much to Red Sox nut John Bostrom’s chagrin.

Ready to rock: The Kiwanis guys (David, Ron, Barry & Bill) are in the pink of health, or something.

Throughout the evening, a small parade of folks reminded people why we were there – to help raise money for the San Juan Island Public Schools Foundation, who have raised some $57K with the Phone-a-thon & business sponsorships in the past year, to help fill in the gaps left by diminishing state funding. Check the website for the list of stuff they’ve brought from teachers’ wishlists to reality…and you’ll know it’s awesome what they’re doing.

No community can truly come together without music, and it was great to hear the FHHS band both before & during intermission, directed by Janet Olsen.

The all-purple juniors/seniors kept it close with Nick, Mandy, Audrey & Elle.

All gold: The ninth/tenth graders were front & center & kept smiling - that's Aaron, Libby, Emily & Emma ready to show their stuff.

My pictures of the service club teams didn't come out as clear (sorry about that, Lions & Sorops!), but you could tell the Rotary Club's Mike, Bob, Janice, and Tom were having a good time.

You can support the San Juan Update by doing business with our loyal advertisers, and by making a one-time contribution or a recurring donation.