Springtime brings family night fun
[APRIL 14, 2000]  Thursday night was Family Fun Night at Lincoln Junior High School (LJHS).  Seventh and eighth graders and their parents gathered in the school’s gymnasium from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to have fun with each other at the school.  Parents had to accompany their student(s) in order for the child to participate in the activities.

LJHS Principal Curtis Nettles said, “Our objective was to bring kids and their parents together to have a fun and positive experience at school.”  There was no admission fee and no academics were discussed. He continued, “Sometimes a parent’s experiences with schools are not always positive ones.”  Nettles was hoping that this event would give parents a reason to come back and support other school events. 

One of the evening’s three attractions was the bungee run.  Students tried to race down an inflated, bouncy two-lane track.  The object was to be the first to leave a baton at a point farthest from the starting line.  Contestants wore harnesses that were attached in the back to a long bungee cord.  They had to run against the tension of the bungee cord and run faster than their opponent.  Dave Perring – a dad, husband and president of the booster club – watched as his daughter and wife engaged in a friendly competition on the bungee run. Perring said, “I think its great and a lot of fun for the kids.” 

 


[Mother and daughter compete at LJHS family fun night.]

 

Another attraction was sumo wrestling. Students dressed in wig-like helmets and wore 20-pound foam filled suits that made them look like 500-pound sumo wrestlers. Pairs of suited-up contestants tried to pop balloons held between them. Many students and parents described this event as funny.  Pop-A-Shot basketball was the other attraction.  Players tried to make as many shots as possible in two basketball hoops in 30 seconds.  

 

 

 

Last night was the first time for this event.  Nettles credited the parent members of the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) for coming up with the idea.  PTO members Karolee Johnson, Melinda Mayfield, Theresa McGee, Kim Johnson, Marsha Perring and president Kristan Splain were the key players in this endeavor.  “We are hoping it will be a success and that we’ll have to do it again next year,” Nettles added, “Sometimes it’s difficult to get a lot of parent involvement, and we hope to activate participation by this event.”  The PTO picked up the cost of the event.

 


[Lincoln Junior High School]

 

Lincoln Junior High eighth grader David Duncan said, “I like it.  I’ve tried the bungee run and the basketball hoop. The bungee run is hard because the cord keeps pulling you back, but it’s my favorite so far.”  Parent Susan White said her son Adam had a ball.  “It’s really great; I haven’t seen anything like this,” White said. “Adam saw something like this at the state fair and was very excited about this. It’s hilarious and a really good idea.” 

Melinda Mayfield, a PTO member, said, “We’re glad that several teachers have volunteered to help.  The kids and the parents enjoyed it, and that was the main goal.”

 

[Kym C. Ammons-Scott]

 

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