By Michael R. Ebert
michael.ebert@newsday.com
Students at Chestnut Hill Elementary School in the Half Hollow Hills district went head-to-head with parents last month during a re-creation of the TV quiz show “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” The event attracted 250 people and raised more than $1,500 for the school’s year-end activities.
“Right now, the show is so popular that we wanted to bring the fun to Chestnut,” assistant principal Deborah Forsyth said.
The competition featured 26 students — who made up the fifth-grade team and a panel of questioners — along with an opposing team of 10 parents.
One highlight was when students acted out mock commercials during the show’s downtime, said Ida Schwarz, a PTA member and co-chairperson of the school’s fifth-grade committee.
“They advertised ‘smencils,’ which are smelly pencils,” Schwarz said.
Chestnut Hill’s parents answered the show’s title question with a “no” — the students won.
Incidentally, the TV show’s producer, Barry Poznick, is a Chestnut Hill alum.