Nursing a three-point lead in the final round of the 2012 Knowledge Bowl, Friday Harbor High School’s 9th and 10th grade team wagered conservatively.

And their bet paid off. Almost everyone else went for broke.

Neither the 9th and 10th graders, or any of the other seven teams competing in this year’s annual fundraiser, including all four local service clubs, came up with the correct spelling of Punxsutawney, the city in Pennsylvania now synonymous with Ground Hog Day. (This year’s event took place on Ground Hog Day, Feb. 2).

But with 13 points still left on their ledger, the freshman and sophomores emerged victorious in the “winner-take-all” final round and brought the K-Bowl trophy back to the high school, and put an end to the Lions Club’s two-year rein as champions of the yearly event.

The 8th grade team, winner of the “audience choice” award for best-costumed team, took second place, having bet all but one point of their team total. As in previous years, this year’s event featured four-person teams from the middle and high schools competing alongside teams from the Lions, Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club and the Friday Harbor Chapter of Soroptimist International

Sponsored by the San Juan Island Public Schools Foundation and hosted by San Juan Community Theatre, this year’s K-Bowl competition drew a near-capacity crowd and  hit all the right marks in for entertainment value.

More importantly, perhaps, it served once again as a showcase for the various fundraising events undertaken by the Public Schools Foundation, such as its annual Phone-a-thon.

Foundation President Lisa  Anderson presented a $70,600 check to school district Superintendent Rick Thompson, representing the amount of donations collected by the group in 2011.

The Foundation has contributed roughly $920,000 to the San Juan Island’s public schools — nearly $1 million — since its inception roughly 20 years ago.

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