Staff members at Larkspur Middle were intrigued by the colorful runs they had seen at other venues, where runners douse themselves in powder in a variety of hues, all for a good cause.
Would it work to raise money for student activities at Larkspur? They decided to try it out and found much success!
Not only did the kids get to participate in the color run, but they also had an in-school dance as part of the effort. The top three students from each grade level who raised the most money earned the right to pie a teacher, PTA member, or admin in the face!
Staff members who were pied included seventh-grade math teacher Kate Strong and library media specialist Natalie Pernites. But the administrators received the most. The principal, Dr. Tamika Singletary-Johnson had four and Tori Beck, assistant principal, had three!
Students who took part in the color run also attended the pieing in the atrium, and the rest of the school watched the live stream! Lastly, the grade level that raised the most money had freedom Friday lunch. The sixth-grade classes were able to sit wherever they wanted for one Friday.
Thanks to the PTA and library media specialist Samantha Heare for planning the event! More than 370 students took part with their families, raising $12,423 for Larkspur.
“This fundraising event was a success in not only reaching our monetary PTA goal of $12,000 but also a success in developing community and student engagement at Larkspur,” Heare said. “I have already had students asking me when we are doing another color blast run and promising to help get the word out when we do.”
“I also have more students smiling at me and saying hello to me by name,” Heare added. “The sense of belonging has increased from this month-long series of events, and I can only see it getting better in the future as we build off the success of the fundraiser.”