43
Watson students fired up about fundraiser
Photo
Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Watson second-grade teacher Christine Palmer (center) posed with a group of Fitch basketball players and cheerleaders who helped her pump up Watson students for their Pennies for Patients fundraising.
Photo
Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Fitch cheerleader Halle Hendricks (center) showed her best silly shocked face as she was wrapped up in toilet paper during a Pennies for Patients rally activity on Feb. 2.
Photo
Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Fitch basketball star Dan Chepke (far left) and his basketball teammates urged Watson students to get excited for their Pennies for Patients fundraiser on Feb. 2.
By SARAH FOOR
When second-grade teacher Christine Palmer was offered the post of running Watson’s Pennies for Patients fundraising, she knew her first task would be to get her students excited about the project.
With the help of a few friends at Fitch High School, Palmer hosted a Pennies for Patients pep rally on Feb. 2 where students were encouraged to be loud and energized.
Palmer began the rally by explaining that raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is important to Watson because one of its own, second-grader Stevie Pateras, is a Leukemia survivor.
“Today is about getting excited because we get to help out kids. Just by collecting loose change around the house, you can help kids your age who are dealing with some very serious stuff,” Palmer explained.
The teacher offered a bit of incentive for the students, explaining that throughout the week of Feb. 6-10, Watson will celebrate mismatch day, as well as crazy hair, Hawaiian, disco and twin day.
Palmer promised that if the school can collect $100 in one week, eight teachers would get a whipped cream pie in the face.
At that suggestion, the students went wild, and Fitch basketball star Dan Chepke, his teammates and a group of Fitch cheerleaders took the stage to add fuel to the excitement of the students.
The high-schoolers led loud cheers and fun games they use at Fitch pep rallies. Watson students raced each other to wrap a whole roll of toilet paper around a Fitch cheerleader and ripped all of the tissues from a tissue box one by one.
“It’s going to be a great year for Pennies for Patients,” Palmer promised.