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Hilltop students have dinner with dad
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Several hundred Hilltop Elementary School students attended the school’s annual Dinner with Dad Jan. 28, including, left to right, Angelo Gulu with his dad, Gary, Grace Rosko with her dad, Chad, and Hannah Kelly with her dad, Pat.
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Hilltop Elementary School second-grader Viviana Condoleon and her dad, George, enjoyed their time together at the school’s annual Dinner with Dad Jan. 26.
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Mike Hemmelgarn picked several volunteers out of the audience to participate in his show at Hilltop Elementary School’s Dinner with Dad Jan. 26. Hemmelgarn was in the process of making this lucky volunteer a ‘princess hat’ made out of balloons.
By ABBY SLANKER
Students at Hilltop Elementary School continued the annual tradition of Dinner with Dad on Jan. 26. The PTO-sponsored event invited all students and their dads to Mr. Anthony’s in Boardman for an evening of food, fun and entertainment.
Approximately 620 students and fathers enjoyed a buffet dinner of tossed salad, pasta with meatballs, chicken strips, Italian bread/butter, coffee, tea, soft drinks and white and chocolate cake for dessert.
After dinner, Hilltop Elementary School Principal Cathy Mowry welcomed the students and their dads, while introducing the entertainment for the evening – Mike Hemmelgarn.
Much to the delight of the students, who gathered together close to the stage, Hemmelgarn entertained them with jokes, juggling and ventriloquism.
At one point, he asked the children if they wanted to meet his friend, and received a resounding applause. He then pulled out Butterball, his turkey puppet.
“Butterball is safe this time of year, but we were a bit worried the past couple months,” Hemmelgarn said.
Hemmelgarn also involved the students and their dads in his show by asking for volunteers.
The event also offered a 50/50 raffle and a Chinese auction, which consisted of such prizes as an iPod Touch, Nerf dart tag basket, Lego Ninjago sets and a portable DVD player and movies. The winners of the prizes were drawn at the end of the evening.
The event was chaired by Hilltop PTO president Amy Kinkade and co-chaired by Karin Hudock, who put together the Chinese auction baskets, which are provided by the PTO.
Homeroom mothers and PTO mom volunteers also helped at the event from selling raffle tickets and Chinese auction tickets to taking pictures and greeting guests at the door.