Canyonville 5th graders 'smarter' than adults

CANYONVILLE — It turns out the fifth graders at Canyonville Elementary might just be smarter than the average adult.

With their own spin on the popular television show, “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” The Canyonville Elementary Parent Group Organization scheduled a match of wits between fifth graders in Ralph Johannessen’s class and a couple of high-profile adults Friday in the school gym.

State Representative Susan Morgan was just one of the contestants who had to turn to face the crowd of more than 100 people and say, “I am not smarter than a fifth grader.”

The TV show allows adult contestants three “cheats,” including a “peek” card, in which they can look off a fifth graders paper to answer the question, but don’t have to use the answer; a “copy” card which they can use to copy a fifth grader’s answer and a “save” card, which will let them move to the next level if they answer wrong.

The first rounds of the game were played for $5 and $6 gift cards, with categories such as third grade history, second grade measurements and first grade math. However, Morgan, like most of her counterparts, did not make it to the final round.

“This is way worse than the Legislature,” she said to the crowd.

Kenny Sherman of COOL-FM didn’t last long either, but Canyonville Chamber President and auto mechanic, Jake Young, made it to the final round picking up a Rogue River trip with his correct answer to a second grade science question asking if the stegosaurus, triceratops and brontosaurus were all herbivores.

They were, by the way.

The fifth graders delivered an impressive performance by answering correctly to most of the questions. When retired principal Frank Braudt was unable to recite Martin Luther King’s famous speech, “I Have a Dream,” Mylee Barnett, 10, proved she knew her history well, and repeated the famous words verbatim.

Allistair Canete, 11, said he was really nervous on stage.

“I thought I was going to blow up,” said the fifth grader.

Canete will be representing the South Umpqua School District in the Douglas County Spelling Bee so it was no surprise when he answered correctly to a fifth grade social studies question asking the correct spelling for the word for a tax on goods being brought into the country.

“Tariff” was the answer, of course.

Canete said he mostly learns to spell difficult words from the books he reads, such as the Harry Potter series.

Barnett, SiDonnie Freeman, 11, Savanna Muir, 11 and Sierra McBroome, 10, were sitting on the bleachers, taking a break during the contestant rotation. They said they mostly credit Johannessen for their smarts, and paying attention in class.

“Except in history,” said Barnett and then added, “Don’t tell Mr. J. I said that.”

When asked if they thought they were smarter than the average adult, the group of girls answered with a simultaneous, “Yes!”

“Are You Smarter than a Canyonville 5th Grader?” was a school program to raise funds to benefit school beautification and a new learning garden.

Lynn Rauth, a kindergarten teacher at Canyonville Elementary and the treasurer and secretary for the Parent Group, said she was “very happily surprised” with the turnout for such a small community.

“This particular community really feels the school is the heart of the town and really supports it,” said Rauth.