FRIARS POINT — Valentine’s Day brought the Friars Point Community Action Club and local elementary students together to reach one common goal – to make their town better.
Friars Point Elementary School with students in kindergarten through sixth grade held a Valentine’s Day dance in the gym Thursday, Feb. 14, to raise money for field day. Field day consists of several competitive activities for students throughout the school and will be held for one full day in May. The Friars Point Community Action Club donated all the food for the Valentine’s Day dance and gift baskets for the students.
A drawing took place and one student for each grade received a gift basket.
According to Valery Harris, lead teacher at Friars Point Elementary School, the Valentine’s Day dance raised approximately $200 and field day will cost at least $2,000 to $3,000 since bouncers will be purchased.
Students paid $2 apiece to get into the Valentine’s Day dance to help raise the money.
“They’re going to come in here, dance, have fun and eat,” Harris said.
Harris said money raised will also go toward student trophies on awards day toward the end of the year.
Friars Point Community Action Club president Charles Fair was glad to help the elementary school with its fundraising.
“We’re donating for the school around here,” he said. “We’re trying to get the young kids in rural area who don’t have much as much help as all kids. When I was a young kid, somebody was helping me, so as a Friars Point group, this is our outreach. We try to give uniforms, school books. We’re trying to get computers. As a matter of fact, we’re trying to get this gym for them to get more athletics in here.
“They’re going to bust some energy.”
Friars Point reading lab instructor Lakenia Done, also the PTO president, said raising money will also help reward hard-working students.
“We provide different activities when they pass their test or do well on their test,” she said. “We take a Star test, a Benchmark assessment, so all of the students that do well and maintain their grade, we provide incentive for them. Right now, we don’t have any money, so teachers are pulling this out of their pocket.”
