Campbell students’ test scores earn bikes

October 28, 2011 at 12:03a.m.

By Jeanne Starmack

CAMPBELL

A new set of wheels — now that’s a motivator.

At Campbell Elementary School on Wednesday, hard work was paying off as 60 fifth-graders walked into the cafeteria after school, then rolled out.

On the sidewalk in front of the cafeteria, Alexandra Galantis and Maria Atsas, both 10, stopped to show off their new pink bikes — given to them by the school for passing both parts, reading and math, of the Ohio Achievement Assessment Test last year.

“It was hard,” Alexandra confided about the test, which the class took last spring.

“But parts of it were really, really easy,” said Maria.

“I liked reading better,” Alexandra said.

“I liked math better,” Maria countered.

About those bikes though, they both agreed: pretty exciting.

Inside the cafeteria, school principal Robert Walls was busy making sure every family that claimed a bike signed for it.

Looking on were members of the Campbell Ecumenical Council, which represents every church in the city.

The Ecumenical Council raised the money to buy the bikes — $4,600, said Anthony Labrie, its treasurer.

The council has two pancake breakfasts and two bake sales a year to raise the money for the bike giveaway, which is its biggest project of the year, he said.

“It started when I first got here seven years ago,” Walls said. “We were looking for something to motivate the kids.”

Walls said the school discovered that most kids didn’t have bikes.

“So we said, ‘How about if we get you bikes,’” he said. “They loved that.”

Walls, who is on the Ecumenical Council, knew that it was looking for a project to benefit the community. So he suggested buying the bikes.

Now, the council has a go-to team. Dorothy Labrie, Anthony’s wife, bakes cupcakes and doughnuts for the bake sales. Anthony sends letters out to businesses asking for donations. And the Rev. Dan Yargo of Marion United Methodist Church does the legwork, arranging the order for the bikes with Walmart.

Walls believes the bikes have helped motivate the fourth-graders who take the OAA test.

“This is part of it, though there is no silver bullet,” he said, adding that other outreach and intervention programs have combined to improve test scores.

“I think it’s wonderful that they do this,” said Darlene Farmintino, whose granddaughter, Sydney Hurd, got a bike this year.

Susan Figueroa, there with her daughter Hayley, 11, agreed.

“She’s beyond ecstatic,” Figueroa said. “She’s been talking about it for the last couple of days.”

Hayley’s new bike will mean more learning — she hasn’t had a bike since she was 5.

“I’ll have to learn to ride again,” said Hayley.

According to her mother, that shouldn’t be a problem.

“She’s a very smart student,” Figueroa said.