To celebrate raising over $26,000 through their Fund Run, Oxford Elementary School held an assembly on Dec. 18, which included teachers and a dunk tank.
‘This is the second year we’ve done the dunk tank,? said OES Principal Jeff Brown. ‘It’s a fun event, it’s a nice incentive. It’s nice for the kids to see their teachers being silly once in a while and just kind of having fun with kids.?
Thirteen students who raised $150 or more were the ones selected to throw the balls in an attempt to send their teachers splashing. Prizes were given to each of the students who participated in the fund-run. This year’s fund run had over 500 students. A total of 226 participated from OES and 282 from Daniel Axford, which works in conjunction with OES.
OES student Catherine Bobies brought in the highest amount of $975, while Chase Abell was runner up with $600. Instead of choosing one of the bigger prizes, Able decided to give $140 of his money to a local family in need.
‘I thought that was really neat,? added Brown. ‘Mrs. (Joyce) Brasington (principal at DA) and I were able to find a family that we have in common to provide a gift card for them for the holidays.?
Also recognized was Matt Robydek’s fifth grade class for the most participation of students from any class and Pete Stremersch’s third grade class for raising the most money, both classes were awarded by having a silly string fight with Principal Brown on Friday.
So where exactly does the $26,000 go? Brown said the money is shared between OES and DA, but that the majority of it goes right back to the teachers to be able to buy things for their classrooms.
‘Some of the fun art supplies, interesting classroom reading like weekly reader or other magazines and additional type things our teachers like to have,? he said.
Part of the money also goes to family community events such as the Fall Tailgate, ‘Pop in for Popsicles,? or ‘Watermelon Welcome.?
‘A lot of those big school community events where we don’t have to charge our families at the gate,? added Brown.
Brown and Brasington receive a couple thousand dollars each year for assemblies. They also receive money that goes into a ‘principal account,? which can be used to help kids who can’t afford to go on school field trips.
‘Our fifth graders go to camp which is around $150 and third graders go to Lansing which is around $60 (per student),? he said. ‘It’s nice to have a little bit of a resource so we can quietly support a family who might be in need.?
The money, Brown said, allows them to do fun things that kids ‘want and need as a part of their elementary experience.?
‘It’s very important kids learn to love math, learn to read and write but when you think back to your elementary years, some of those experiences, the really fun (ones) are what sticks out the most.?
He also said the amount of money raised, which is the most in the school’s history, is a great example of how supportive the families are.
‘Over the last five years, with the economy, it’s been difficult, (but we’ve) continued to raise a little more money every single year,? he said. ‘It speaks volumes of how supportive our families are of our schools and how much importance they put on the fun side of school, as well.?