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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.
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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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