First-graders Brianna Feenstra, on the left, and Emma Norman splatter paint all over Mrs. Teri Bowlin, preK-8 principal who agreed to become a human canvas if students raised $13,000 for the 2021 Walkathon.
A number of unprecedented events will put the 2020-21 school year in the record books, but the most recent record-breaking fundraiser, the Lynnville-Sully Community Foundation’s Walkathon, will go down in history as one of the most positive events of 2021. After weeks of fundraising, LSCEF Director Kyra Smith and LSCEF Board Members had the privilege of unveiling the $20,142 raised by generous donors at the Walkathon’s assembly on Friday, May 7.
The original goal of the seventh-annual Walkathon, which was delayed from its typical fall date due to COVID, was to raise $13,000. Lynnville-Sully students, family and friends, and supportive community and business sponsors did what they do best for the school district – gave generously to the tune of $20,142 to far exceed the original fundraising goal. All money raised through the Walkathon will be used to update classroom supplies, technology, and spaces in the elementary.
K-5 students are on their feet and cheering for their teachers who competed in a friendly competition prior to the unveiling of the total amount of money raised. The Walkathon T-shirts worn by students who raised a certain amount of money were green this year, a nod to Mrs. Bowlin’s favorite color.
Students and staff celebrated the fundraising milestone during an outdoor assembly on Friday afternoon held on the school’s track. A friendly competition among K-5 teachers kicked off the assembly. Smith then took over and the fundraising board was unveiled, displaying the incredible amount raised, $20,142.
To celebrate such a fundraising feat, Mrs. Teri Bowlin, preK-8 principal, held up her end of the bargain and donned all white clothing in preparation of turning into a human canvas. Two students from each grade were randomly chosen to paint Mrs. Bowlin. Mrs. Bowlin started as a stark white blank canvas but was given plenty of color by the time the students doused her with paint, two students at a time. Chants of “fight the white,” a popular saying of Mrs. Tara Conover, Lynnville-Sully’s art teacher, were shouted loud and proud by the cheering student section. By the end of the fun painting session, which also included turns by K-5 teachers, Mrs. Bowlin was covered head to toe in colorful paint.
An afternoon of fun and games followed as the students spent time running, walking, and completing obstacles on the track before enjoying a popsicle treat and returning to class.
