Parent Partners in Education (PPIE) kicked off its annual Cardinal Dash fundraising event Friday in an unusual way.
The kindergarten through fifth-grade students watched a video featuring classmates talking about the event that matches fitness with $10 pledges.
“One hundred percent of the proceeds go to PPIE programming,” a student announced in the video.
Students were also addressed as a group after watching Friday morning’s dress rehearsal of the first- and third-grade musical performance.
PPIE president Anne Shelton announced the prizes based on the number of Cardinal pledge cards each student sells.
Each student who sells 12 cards receives a piece of duct tape, if the group reaches the $13,000 fundraising goal, she said.
Utterances of excitement came from the students when they heard what the tape would be used for on the last day of school.
“If you want to see Mrs. Gillette (school principal) sticking to the wall, you better get out there and sell,” she said.
Last year the students raised just over $14,000 in the Cardinal Dash event.
PPIE sponsors several activities each year from the Cardinal Dash.
Included in the PPIE-sponsored events are the Respect Lunch, family reading night, teacher meals during conference nights, author visits, swimming lessons and one specific school-wide activity.
Last year a virtual reality lab was the specific activity funded by PPIE.
Thirty viewers and 30 mobile devices are included in the lab, where users can “visit” different places through the linked devices.
New student council suggests new curriculum
This year money over and above PPIE’s $13,000 goal will go toward an activity suggested by the school’s newly created elementary student council.
The council formation was the idea of fifth-grade teacher Amy Von Holtum.
“I had been tossing around the idea of establishing an elementary student council since early last fall,” she said. “In December I shared my idea with students in my class and they were immediately excited.”
Von Holtum and her students worked from January through mid-March to draft a council proposal and framework that focused on leadership, service and responsibility, both at school and in the community.
Their ideas received equal enthusiasm back from administrators, and the council was officially created.
Von Holtum said during the proposal stage students asked if they could spearhead the creation of an art experience for all students in grades K-5.
Their suggestion created the “Expression is Elementary” art project.
“Our teachers do a nice job of doing occasional art projects in the classroom, but without an organized art program, we are a bit limited on what we can accomplish,” Von Holtum said.
Students’ ideas create ‘Expression is Elementary’
The student-suggested art program would go “beyond just construction paper, glue and sticks,” according to the Cardinal Dash kick-off campaign video.
While in its infancy, “Expression is Elementary” consists of a representative school committee that includes Coffey Contemporary Arts creator Cody Henrichs.
Von Holtum serves on the committee.
“As of now our goal is to bring in an artist each month to work with a different grade level on education and a project,” she said. “Once the projects are complete, they will be on display for students to view at the school.”
An online gallery may also be created.
Students are not expected to be “good” at art.
“The true point is to find a positive outlet for self-expression,” Von Holtum explained. “We all have different talents and ideas … why not share them?”
However, success of the new art program relies on adequate funding.
“To pull off something of this caliber, we are going to need some help,” Von Holtum said. “So I simply passed the idea (to PPIE) and they ran with it.
PPIE embraces raising funds for the art program
The fifth-annual Cardinal Dash takes place May 1 on the school campus.
The two-week fundraiser ends April 26.
The Cardinal Dash began in 2015 and replaced the group’s frozen food fundraiser with a fun run activity.
Last year tug-of-war competitions by grade level were also added.
“Expression is Elementary” organizers are also planning a small “trial” of the proposed program with students this spring.
Results may be displayed at the downtown art studio in May.