Employees at the Dawson County Sheriff's Office last week went to the head of the class after showing they are indeed smarter than a 10-year-old.

Presented by Reading Education Association of Dawson County (R.E.A.D.), the Oct. 13 contest at Dawson County Middle School paired five local teams against each other to answer elementary school questions.

Cpl. Brad Hardman, Detention Officer Casey Honea and Nurse Tammy Tyler gained the most points by correctly answering questions to win the friendly competition.

"I had a tremendous amount of fun participating in this event," Tyler said. "The math questions got me. This new math stuff is hard to comprehend. I am glad my children are grown and on their own."

Maj. Jeff Johnson, who also serves on R.E.A.D.'s board of directors, said he was honored to present the award to his department's team.

He praised R.E.A.D. for the work the organization does in the community, which includes partnering with the sheriff's office to help inmates gain their GEDs.

"In today's competitive job market, everyone has hurdles to clear. Unfortunately, for many of our incarcerated men and women, these obstacles are even greater," he said. "Providing these men and women with the opportunity to better themselves, their credentials and their employment qualifications is absolutely necessary to elevate their potential for success."

R.E.A.D. Executive Director Sandy Lipkowitz called the event a huge success.

"All of the teams did well answering the questions. This year each team had two opportunities to answer the questions," she said. "This allowed for additional strategy in accumulating total points.

Set up much like Jeff Foxworthy's popular TV game show, the event poses questions taught at the elementary school level. Fifth-graders from each of the county's elementary schools are on hand to help if the queries prove too difficult.

"The fifth grade representatives not only had fun but knew most of the answers," Lipowitz said. "What wonderful representatives for their schools."

A portion of the event's proceeds will go toward a scholarship for a graduating 2016 Dawson County High school senior.

"Twenty-six businesses, civic organizations and individuals sponsored letters of the alphabet for the ABC Literacy Scholarship Program," she said.