The Highland Education Foundation hosted its second annual Trivia Night on Saturday, April 21 at The Room, located at 8353 Indianapolis Boulevard in Highland.
The event raised about $8,500 that will go toward future grants that enable to teachers to be innovative in the classroom. There were about 200 participants after moving to a larger venue. This is the second time in as many years that HEF has completely maxed out its location for Trivia Night.
“What we saw last year with our funding round is our teachers have wonderful and innovative ideas to enrich our children’s education,” said Edward Stone, treasurer of HEF. “I am proud to be a part of HEF to help these ideas become reality and can’t wait to see what they bring us next fall.”
As soon as people started walking in, laughter filled the air. Trivia Night allowed adults to be in a relaxing environment while enjoying competitive fun.
“I think for the amount of mingling we saw prior to trivia, it truly gave friends and neighbors an opportunity to catch up and spur on some rivalry prior to things getting underway,” said Stone. “The Room simply provided a wonderful space to relax and have fun.”
The event not only focused on supporting education, but also to raise awareness about the foundation within the community and ensure the participants had a great time.
“I hope the presence of an education foundation lets our teachers know our greater community is behind them 100 percent,” said Jennifer Gluth, secretary of HEF. “And although that may not impact their salaries, I think having the option to write a grant to the foundation to incorporate an innovation in their teaching is a very tangible way we can show our support.”
The Trivia Night consisted of 7 rounds covering a variety of topics, from “Are you smarter than a Fifth Grader” to relatives of celebrities. Two of the rounds were sponsored by The Tauber Law Firm and Doug Lewis’ Office of Edward Jones which were themed “Law & Order” and “Money” respectively.
“An event like this brings out a wide array of fellow neighbors,” said Stone. “It gives us an opportunity to be social with some of our teachers, administrators and board members while we work for bigger things to come.”
Along with free beer, wine and food there were also prizes being raffled that were donated by the Chicago Cubs, Albanese Candy, Vanis Spa, Whole Foods, Munster Donuts and many more.
The Highland Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to funding innovative educational grants to teachers in the School Town of Highland in order to provide opportunities that enhance student learning and achievement. If you are interested in learning more about HEF, contact Judi Caddick at 219-923-7621.