100th day of school celebrated with dimes collected for library
Tuesday was the 100th day of school and first-graders at Greencastle-Antrim Primary School celebrated in a big way, donating more than $1,000 to Greencastle's Lilian S. Besore Memorial Library.
"That's an intense number," said Cheyenne Bookwalter, children's librarian at Besore.
The money came from the annual first-grade Dimes for Besore collection and youngsters gathered in the pit area of the G-APS lobby as the money was totaled.
"Congratulations on making it through 100 wonderful days," teacher Heidi Funk welcomed them. "You're 100 days smarter!"
One by one, a representative of each of the 10 first-grade classrooms gave a bag of dimes to Funk to add to the total. Numbers marked on the board drew cheers and applause, which grew louder for the final tally — $1,028.55.
The money will be used to purchase first- and second-grade reading level books, Bookwalter told the students. The 2011 Greencastle-Antrim High School graduate said the library still has some books purchased with dimes from when she was in school.
The donation will pay for more than 150 books, from picture books to nonfiction. A label indicating it was purchased with Dimes for Besore money will be put in each one.
Bookwalter asked the youngsters what kind of books they wanted. "Dog Man" books were a popular request, along with dinosaurs, weather and unicorns.
Bookwalter also talked about what the library offers kids beyond books, including science, summer reading and read to dogs programs, as well as movie nights.
The first-graders will learn even more when they take a field trip to the library at the end of the year.
100 days
The Dimes for Besore was just one activity on the 100th day of school. A survey of some first-grade teachers showed a number of ways to celebrate the special number.
Megan Coldsmith's students did a writing activity about what they would do with a $100 bill. Some wanted to buy a mansion, one wanted to buy a Lamborghini and one wanted 100 kittens.
The students of Danielle Berwick and Sue Englehart had a 100th day, pizza-themed topic involving color and counting, and they also sang the 100th day song, wrote 100 words and did 100 exercises.
In Molly Murray's classroom, the youngsters used doilies, cotton balls and buttons to make pictures of what they will look like when they are 100 years old.
Heidi Taylor's students used their fives senses to identify 100 things they would and 100 things they would not want to see, smell, touch, taste and hear.