Welchester Elementary School hosts 20th annual chili cookoff fundraiser

Welchester Elementary School hosts 20th annual chili cookoff fundraiser

It may possibly not be the Stanley Cup, but the touring Welchester Chili Grasp of the Year trophy is a sought-after prize between the Welchester Elementary College staff users.

This 12 months, preschool trainer Karen Kitchner and her white turkey chili took property the trophy soon after successful the staff members class in the school’s 20th annual chili cookoff fundraiser.

Kitchner, a initially-time cookoff participant, reported she entered for the “spirit of level of competition.”

The school’s PTA hosted the Nov. 10 chili cookoff and silent auction, as about 125 people today sampled 9 chilis concocted by Welchester mother and father and team customers.

The cookoff has been on hiatus given that 2019, whilst the silent auction went virtual the past two decades, PTA associates Nikkole Cubbage and Oatis Environmentally friendly explained. Final year’s silent auction lifted $3,000-$4,000, all of which goes straight back again into the college, they claimed.

Firms, parents and courses donate products each calendar year, and this year’s collection involved bicycles, “assistant principal for half-a-day” for the college students, puzzles, online games and more.

In the cafeteria, the 9 cooks were being dishing out little servings of their chili. The optimum compliment — aside from successful — was attendees asking for seconds.

Assistant Principal Jennine Tarpley, who’s competed 3 situations with her purple chili recipe, experienced hoped this time would be the allure and she’d lastly win the Chili Grasp trophy. She believed offering toppings of Fritos and cheese would set her more than the edge against her coworkers.

Even even now, the best part of the occasion for her was hearing the cooks’ tales about their chilis and the competition around the years, Tarpley described.

Equally Tarpley and Kitchner thought the occasion was a fantastic way to bring together the Welchester “school family,” as Kitchner explained it.

In the green chili class, the Beaudettes — dad and mom Mike and Brittany with 3rd-grader Krystale and initial-grader Kaela — have been carrying on a relatives custom.

Mike’s father and brother competed when his nieces and nephews attended Welchester. His father died lately, and Mike primarily based his inexperienced chili recipe on his as a tribute.

“I’ve been cooking it over the past two times and felt very connected to him,” Mike continued.

In addition, Mike has worked in the restaurant industry for 25 several years, which includes as a chef. So, it appeared only natural to participate in the school’s chili cookoff, he explained.

On the other side of the table, initially-time individuals Jerry and Dawn Williams and their fourth-grader Randi have been featuring a spicy environmentally friendly chili. Jerry spelled out how he enjoys cooking and wanted to attempt out his recipes on a broader audience than loved ones and close pals.

The household experienced received favourable feed-back on their entry, with Jerry adding that he was obtaining exciting and would be inclined to compete yet again following 12 months.


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Stafford Elementary School students complete kindness-based fundraiser

Stafford Elementary School students complete kindness-based fundraiser

From Stafford County Schools:

Students at Stafford Elementary School (SES) recently completed a two-week, kindness-focused fundraising campaign named Raise Craze.  During the fundraiser, students showed their appreciation to donors by completing Acts of Kindness for others. At the end of the campaign, the students completed more than 630 acts of kindness and raised more than $16,000.

“Students completed a variety of kindness acts, from picking up trash in their community to writing special letters to teachers at Stafford Elementary School. Some students even made blessing bags for the homeless,” said SES Principal Stefanie Sanders. “In addition to individual acts of kindness, the school hosted a community Chalk the Walk at the school to spread kindness messages and art.”

During the campaign, students signed their name on various sea life and applied it to the Dolphin Kindness Wall after completing an act of kindness.  “Kindness is an important part of good citizenship, and we all can learn a lesson from these students about supporting one another with kindness,” said Dr. Stanley B. Jones, SCPS Interim Superintendent. “Every small act leaves a ripple of joy in the community. I encourage all of us to go out and do something nice for someone today. You never know how large an impact one small act, such as a letter of support to a child’s teacher, will make.”

As the culmination of the campaign, school administrators, with the support of the SES PTA, created a surprise Magical Celebration day on Friday, November 19. With support from the SES PTA, each grade level hallway was immersed in a different Disney movie theme. Teachers, administrators, counselors, and staff dressed as characters from the movie, enhancing the magic.  “We wanted a fundraiser that meant something. The kids were so excited to complete their acts of kindness and see how being kind can make a BIG difference,” said Kathleen Meade, Stafford Elementary PTA President.

 

The students also were surprised with two kindness assemblies. The Stafford County Sheriff’s Department provided several displays from the special operations unit which included the SWAT Team, the K9 Unit, and the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Team. Guest speaker Lieutenant Diggs delivered an inspiring message addressing the importance of kindness. Stafford County Fire House 4 conducted the second assembly,  providing a 100-foot fire truck. The students watched as Mrs. Sanders and Mrs. Hardman, the school administrators, were raised into the air above them to read “Be Kind” by Pat Zietlow Miller.

“These two organizations are a large part of our community,” said Sanders. “They have always done kind things for us, so having them deliver a message about kindness was very powerful for our students. We hope our students remember how everything begins with just one small act, and that the message of kindness resonates with them all year.”

 

Photos courtesy Stafford County Schools