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Night of fun has serious purpose
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At the front of the crowd, eighth-graders Alison Rein, left, Seaven Weaver and Deborah Eshun, all 13, play Just Dance during the “Wii Play for Charity” fundraiser at Austintown Middle School. Several other students, friends and family members joined in for fun in the background Thursday evening at the event hosted by the school’s Honor Language Arts students.
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Eric Henderson, 13, and Ethan Saxey, 12, both seventh-graders, begin their competition round of Mario Kart Racing during Thursday night’s fundraiser. The Honor Language Arts students organized and hosted the event to raise money for a variety of charities. Winners in the Wii competition were Jensen Hykes, Just Dance 2; Paul Gavin, boxing; Riley Terrill, Mario Kart and Evan Schobel, Wipeout.
AUSTINTOWN
A runaway groom tried to make his way across a turning tube while dodging balls and jumping over rings for charity.
More than 90 students, parents and friends turned out Thursday evening at Austintown Middle School for the Honor Language Arts students’ “Wii Play for Charity” fundraiser.
The event featured four competitions that tested the talents of players in Mario Kart Racing, boxing, Just Dance 2 and Wipeout video games.
“Yes!” yelled sixth-grader Evan Schobel, when his groom avatar defeated his competitor, Micah Eshun, 19, of Akron, in Wipeout. He was one of several students who were hanging out in one of nine rooms set up for kids who wanted to play for fun.
Players could choose to pay $3 to practice or $5 for each event they wanted to compete in. The money will be donated to a variety of charities including the Ronald McDonald House, Rescue Mission of Mahoning Valley, Angels for Animals, Cat Ladies Society, Second Chance Animal Rescue and Operation Big Reach.
The Honor Language Arts students “joined together to raise money because it was most needed,” said Michelle Best, the school’s eighth-grade language-arts teacher.
Her honor students are required to do service work and this year researched charities to see what would best help them.
“I wanted the kids to see how communities work and to be a part of it,” she said. “And not have everything handed to them.”
As video gamers traveled from room to room throughout the building, members of Chapter 78 of Ohio’s School Nutrition Association also were raising money for charity in the school’s cafetorium.
The group meets four times a year to share recipes, ideas and advice on how to prepare and run lunch rooms across the tri-county area.
Its November meeting, which was hosted this year by Tascin Brooks, the district’s food-service director, is always its charity event. Members brought gifts, which were auctioned to the highest bidder.
The money raised by the group will go to a local food bank. „ÄÄ