Celebrate! School is out for the summer

By Carrie A. Mizell

Students at Bell Elementary School enjoyed a day of celebration on Tuesday courtesy of the PTA.
The 2nd Annual Celebration Day included art projects, bounce houses and a hot dog lunch.
According to Pamela Pinna, PTO president, Celebration Day was started to honor all students, rather than just those who make the honor roll or have perfect attendence.
“We know there are kids who struggle, so we want to honor everyone who tries their best,” Pinna said. “We want to make this bigger and better every year to show the kids how special they are.”
Students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade enjoyed having their faces painted, doing spin art, making pencil caterpillars, hand fans and beaded jewelry, while also designing fingerprint pictures, making masks and decorating cookies donated by Publix.
When they weren’t inside making art projects, students were outside bouncing in one of five blow up bounce houses, or hula hooping, drawing with sidewalk chalk, blowing bubbles, singing karaoke or cooling off with a snow cone.
Slices of watermelon, which were donated by Thomas Farms, were also given out for students to enjoy.
Organized games such as basketball and volleyball were also played throughout the day.
In all, 25 volunteers worked to organize the day of fun.
“This would not be possible with out our PTA,” said Sherry Lindsey, assistant principal at BES. “I don’t know what we would do without all our volunteers.”
Each year, the school’s PTA organizes a fall festival, which serves as their primary fundraiser.
December through April the PTA hosts movie night each Friday night at the school where G-rated movies are shown free of charge. The PTA sells snacks at the movies to raise funds for projects.
Last year the PTA, which has 140 members, raised nearly $8,000 to pay for a projector system for the cafetorium.

Ryan Stalvey and Hunter Cox, both third grade students at BES
run to get into a bounce house.

Second grade students at Bell Elementary School dance, clap, blow bubbles,
eat snow cones and hula hoop along to the music Tuesday.

Volunteers who worked on Tuesday to make Celebration Day at Bell Elementary School a success included, back row, l-r: Tabitha Ritchey, Phyllis Robinson, Chris Malecki, Carol Murray, Colleen Yarbrough, Diana Lynn and Amy Tompkins. Front row, l-r: Jennie Joiner, Marilyn Runde, Tina Ritchey, Pamela Pinna, Bonnie Edwards and Betty Willms.