CRANFORD, NJ — The ninth annual Trivia Night organized by the Cranford Fund for Educational Excellence raised more than $35,000 for new educational grants in the Cranford Public Schools, thanks to sponsors and everyone who took part in the event on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Kenilworth VFW.
It was a joyous evening of friendly competition, laughter and dancing, with music by E34 Events revving up the crowd. More than 300 people came, organized into 34 teams and dressed up to showcase their colorful team names, from “Cranford Craniums” to “The Brainy Bunch” and more.
All proceeds will support grants for Cranford public school teachers seeking to educate and inspire their students in new and innovative ways. CFEE grants have funded robotics, 3D printers, bulk book purchases, craft projects, media technology, math kits for hands-on learning and more.
Schools Superintendent Mark Cantagallo took the stage early in the evening to applaud CFEE and the Cranford community’s dedication to supporting its children’s education. “I’m so humbled and grateful to work in a school district that has literally hundreds of people spending a Saturday night” at the CFEE fundraiser, he said, noting that the organization has raised more than $400,000 in grants for the Cranford Public Schools over the past two decades. “It’s absolutely amazing,” he said.
CFEE board member Karen Bennett, the master of ceremonies, presented eight rounds of questions devised by a board committee led by Trivia Masters Barry Horbal and Robert Lukenda. Every table had a map with countries’ names to be filled in, providing another opportunity for points. The teams earned bonus points between rounds by answering questions about videos – shown at the front of the room – that showcased the impact of CFEE grants. Teams included past grant recipients and a team of teachers, CFEE All-Stars. “Fact or Fiction” and “2025 in Headlines” were fun new categories this year, and the musical audio rounds of course had everyone singing their favorite songs by the end of the night.
A gold star for sponsors
CFEE is a Cranford-based nonprofit foundation that supports excellence and innovation in the Cranford public schools by generating resources through community involvement, and Trivia Night is the organization’s signature annual event. Funds were raised from team entry fees, a 50/50 raffle and sponsorships. CFEE proudly featured 49 businesses and families who supported the event with sponsorships ranging from $150 to $5,000 going to the top sponsors:
“Principal” Sponsor: Cranford Jaycees
“Facilities Director” Sponsors: Cranford Education Association and The Faller Company
“Academic Dean” Sponsors: Keating Physical Therapy, Lukenda Dental, ProCare Rehabilitation, Cranford Women’s Club, NJ Family Medical, Schuster Family Orthodontics, Benjamin Ginter Law Offices, VFW Post 335, Cranford Elks and Birchwood Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center
Winning teams ace the test
As in years past, the team winning first place gets to design their own ice cream flavor at Vanilla Bean Creamery and have their team photo displayed on a building in downtown Cranford. This year, that team is CranGPT – Christine DelRe, Matt DelRe, Christine Bove, Justin Bove, Beth Rees, Shaun Rees, Jen Lenza, Chris Lenza, Claire Cooper and Ryan Cooper.
Taking second place was The Brainy Bunch – John Cwikla, Jenn Cwikla, Pete McDevitt, Jaclyn Milano, Glen Milano, Faith Dzurovcik, Chris Alfieri, Hope Alfieri, Craig Allen and Carla Allen.
A tiebreaker showdown at the end helped determine the third place title, which was claimed by the team Something Topical and Clever – Mike Yablonski, Howard Lubinger, Rebecca Trump, Matt Trump, Patricia MacLean, Chrissi Konopka, Bartek Konopka, Jill Wohrle, Brian Andrews and Paul Gallo.
All winners walked away with bragging rights and a lawn sign to display proudly. There was nothing trivial about the zest and creativity of the three teams winning spirit awards: The Class Clowns award went to Cranford Craniums – Rachel Humiston, Shaun Humiston, Allen Grosholz, Marci Grosholz, Diane Borges, Antonio Borges, Patrick Hanrahan, Stacy Craig,
Carly Nguyen and Khoa Nguyen.
The Most Spirited award was spirited away by Cranford Classics – Brendan Prunty, Amanda Prunty, Steve Streicher, Joseph Kanaval, Stephanie Kanaval, Matt Adel, Sara Benish, Kathleen Reilly Streicher, Rachel Daly and D. Daly.
And the Best Dressed award was pocketed by Plaid Scientists – Sara Gutierrez, Mary O’Flynn, Mark Reilly, Erin Reilly, Mary Duarte, Jessica Mallo, Kevin Guterl, Helen Roberts, Frank Shuler and Jessica Rodino.
CFEE awards grants in categories such as differentiated or personalized education, technology integration and 21st-century skills, innovation zones/makerspaces and classroom design. If you’d like more information or would like to contribute to CFEE’s efforts, visit cranfordfund.org.
Photo Courtesy of Chris Gosier
