Lucy Billingsley and Caren Kline
Lucy Billingsley arrive at Frontiers of Flight Museum on Thursday, April 30, loaded for bear. As one of the adult panelists for the “Are You Smarter Than A KIPPster?” competition, she had prepped warm-up questions for her team of Pastor Bryan Carter, Clay Jenkins, Steve O’Brien, Will Rose, Florence Shapiro, George Tang, Bernice Washington, Lucy Wrubel and Edwin Flores subbing in for Pauline Medrano. She did a trial run of her questions with Caren Kline:
- What is a camel-hair brush made of?
- Where are Panama hats made?
- What is the color of a Purple Finch?
A couple of Lucy’s fellow panelists probably wished she had just said, “Drop and give me ten.”
Steve O’Brien, Clay Jenkins, Bryan Carter, Chris Brown, Lucy Wrubel, George Tang, Will Rose, Florence Shapiro, Edwin Flores, Lucy Billingsley and Bernice Washington
On one side of the stage, the driving-age panelists were chatting up and looking pretty light-hearted and confident. On the other side of the stage behind the screen were the KIPPsters in their navy blue polo shirts and khaki pants getting revved up for the confrontation. It seemed as if the adults thought the questions would be throw-aways, while the kids appeared ready for bar exams.
From the left: Judah Foster, Yesenia Avalos, Leslie Uribe, Lyrun Young, Romero Lucero, Damian Breedlove, Ailin Castillo, Saadiq Muhammad, Alexis McCain and Melody Munoz
For first-time guests, the evening was filled with surprises. Why, even those who had attended last year’s KIPP:DFW fundraiser were in for a surprise.
Quinton Vance and Lindsay Billingsley
As guests literally filled the ground level tables after a VIP reception on the upper level, Event Chair Lindsay Billingsley and KIPP DFW Executive Director Quinton Vance welcomed the hundreds of guests and directed their attention to a stage in the middle of the room and introduced the KIPPP Destiny Elementary Show Choir.
KIPP Destiny Elementary School Choir
KIPP Destiny Elementary School Choir
KIPP Destiny Elementary School Choir finale
If the word “adorable” had a video to define it, The Kippies would be performing. They sang; they gestured; they should have been arrested for stealing everybody’s heart.
The evening could have ended right there and then and nobody would have complained at all.
But Jeopardy! two-time winner/emcee Chris Smith moved swiftly to the podium and introduced the two panels — the adults and then the KIPPsters (Yesenia Avalos, Damion Breedlove, Ailin Castillo, Judah Foster, Alexia McCain, Saadiq Muhammad, Melody Munoz, Lucero Romero, Leslie Uribe and Lyrun Young) — and started the quiz.
Panelists and Chris Smith
Anyone in the audience or on the panel thinking the questions would be softballs like “Mary had a little … a) alligator, b) lamb c) pain in her neck or d) pig?” went into cerebral shock.
Here are some of the questions that faced the panelists:
Which of the following describes a result of the 13th Amendment?
- African Americans in the North could vote
- State governments were required to protect individual rights
- Former confederate officials were prohibited from holding elected office
- Africa Americans in the South could move elsewhere
Brett’s desk is 40 inches long. Given that 1 inch is approximately 254 centimeters, how many centimeters long is the desk?
- 75 cm
- 54 cm
- 6 cm
- 120 cm
The atomic number of an atom is equal to
- The number of protons in the atom
- The number of protons and neutrons in the atom
- The number of protons and electrons in the atom
- The number of protons, neutrons and electrons in the atom
Which of these keeps Earth in its orbit?
- The rotation of the Earth
- The gravity of the Sun
- The revolution of the Moon
- The gravity of the Moon
In the early rounds, it was looking pretty bleak for the Dallasites as they fumbled and grumbled. Finally, they got one question right and their fellow panelists did a wave to celebrate.
Adults celebrated getting a right answer
The kids, on the other hand, looked at the adults acting like kids.
Deb and Clint McConnough
After the first part of the quiz ended for a break, KIPP DFW Campaign Co-Chairs Deb and Clint McDonnough put a shout-out for guests to support and get involved “to provide children in under-served communities with a free, rigorous, high-quality education that offers the knowledge, skills and character traits necessary to thrive in school, college and the competitive world beyond.”
A moving point in the evening was when 2003 KIPP Truth Academy Founding 5th grader Jozlyn Hall told about her experience with KIPP. Thanks to KIPP DFW she went on to Texas Woman’s University, from which she would be graduating in seven days. But the KIPP connection didn’t end with her being able to study at TWU. She revealed that she would be teaching sixth-grade science at KIPP Destiny Middle School that opens this fall.
The evening ended with the lighting round that resulted in the KIPPsters once again taking home the honors.
Oh, were you wondering what the answers were to Lucy’s and the KIPP quiz? Don’t blame you. Follow the jump and the answers are there.
- What is a camel-hair brush made of? Squirrel fur
- Where are Panama hats made? Ecuador
- What color is a Purple Finch? Rose-red
Which of the following describes a result of the 13th Amendment?
African Americans in the North could voteState governments were required to protect individual rightsFormer confederate officials were prohibited from holding elected office- Africa Americans in the South could move elsewhere
The product of three numbers is 138. One of the numbers is 23. What the other two numbers?
3 and 4- 2 and 3
2 and 53 and 5
The atomic number of an atom is equal to
The number of protons in the atom- The number of protons and neutrons in the atom
The number of protons and electrons in the atomThe number of protons, neutrons and electrons in the atom
Which of these keeps Earth in its orbit?
The rotation of the Earth- The gravity of the Sun
The revolution of the MoonThe gravity of the Moon