After a successful first year during the fall of 2018, Berlin Community School was immediately looking forward to hosting another Boosterthon Fun Run fundraiser.
The event, which has helped raise more than $220 million for schools in 47 states that serve over 7.1 million students since its inception, according to its website, helps generate donations from the community while also stepping into schools to help teach and reinforce character education through fun, energetic programs.
Now going into its second year with Berlin Community School, the stakes were raised for the events fundraising goal as the students geared up for the Fun Run part of Boosterthon’s partnership.
In it’s inaugural year, the Berlin Community School and Home Association worked with Boosterthon in fundraising efforts to reach a total of $10,000 to go towards the STEAM and technology department, eventually surpassing the goal.
This year, the BCSHA set the goal at $15,000 during the fundraising period. By the time of the Fun Run throughout the morning and afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 24, the community had already raised more than $18,000 toward advancing initiatives at Berlin Community School that will be used at a later time.
“Last year we had directed the money towards STEAM, which then kind of pigeonholed the money toward going to one place,” Lil Graham, president of the BCHSA, said. “So this year, instead of doing that, we left it very open-ended, so if the school has any initiatives that they would like to work on, or even a specific grade or classroom, that the money can be used wherever they see fit.”
Aside from reaching the fundraising goal that helps better support teachers and different initiatives at BCS, another crucial aspect is the continued emphasis on character education and culture throughout the year. An event such as the Boosterthon Fun Run is another opportunity to be able to reinforce with students the necessity of being kind to one another while also bringing the community together.
“I think its super important to be able to bring the parents and the community, and even the greater community of parents that maybe don’t live locally, into our school to see how wonderful it really is and how much the teachers and parents care about the community as a whole,” Graham said.
Elementary School principal Phil Silva took part in the first part of the Boosterthon Fun Run on Oct. 24, watching over and celebrating with students from classrooms in kindergarten, first and second grades, while students from the other grade levels would later take their turn outside running along the red and blue tracks, with superintendent Joseph Campisi and middle school principal Kellilyn Mawson also taking turns.
In his first year with BCS, Silva says he was excited to see Boosterthon work with the students on character education.
“They’re energetic and really good with the kids,” Silva said. “They met with students and teachers to talk about character education and the different themes… and it tied into Red Ribbon Week really well as well. Having such a big fundraiser like this that is so well organized isn’t something that I’ve been a part of before.”
In celebration of reaching the fundraising goal, lucky students from each grade level had the opportunity to slime the three administrators at the conclusion of their own Fun Run.
