Daisy Elementary School volunteers welcome the community to the school's Fall Festival at Soddy-Daisy Veterans Park Nov. 17.
The day kicks off with a Free Family Fun Run at 8 a.m. led by Daisy Elementary physical education teacher Diane Stacy. All ages can enter the cross country-style event. Festival activities, taking place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., will benefit Daisy Elementary's Community Playground Fund.
Daisy Elementary School principal Katrina Gravitte, second-grade teacher Candace Lowe and Parent Teacher Association president Julie Robertson, from left, invite the community to the school's first-ever Daisy Elementary Fall Festival at Soddy-Daisy Veterans Park Saturday, Nov. 17. This artistically designed umbrella will be auctioned off at the event along with other student-produced work. Second-graders used paint to create handprints and signatures on the umbrella.School principal Katrina Gravitte said County Commissioner Fred Skillern offered to donate $40,000 from his discretionary funds toward playground upgrades at the school. She said the equipment on the lower playground is a safety hazard and needs to be replaced as soon as possible.
"We will try to do matching funds so we can get physical equipment [for the lower playground] feasible for kids with different elevations and good quality," she said.
In addition to making the playground safer, funds raised through festival activity costs and other purchases will help the school with its health initiatives goals. According to Parent Teacher Association president Julie Robertson, last year the school bought two exercise equipment pieces for the upper playground for third through fifth grades with health initiatives grant money.
"It encourages students to use their bodies and muscles instead of just playing," she said.
This year the intent is to help fund new after-school Fitness Clubs for both students and staff. Daisy Elementary students take physical education once per week, but Gravitte said the school's faculty wants to go the extra mile to really promote healthy bodies and minds.
"We want community involvement at Daisy Elementary School," she said. "Everything raised from the festival goes back to the kids."
The entire community is invited to enjoy a day of family fun, games, crafts, entertainment, booths and food. In addition to inflatables, games for children include a bean bag toss, pin the feather on the turkey, a ring toss, gourd bowling, cornhole and an M & M sort. Whipped cream pies in the face for faculty, balloon animals, face painting and a dessert walk will add to the fun.
"This is our first year to do the festival," said Robertson. "It encourages the whole family to come out and do something together."
Vendors will be selling soup, popcorn, pizza, hot chocolate, soft drinks and icees. A silent auction will feature student-produced class art projects including road signs with children's names on them.
"One class made an umbrella with kids' handprints on it," said Robertson, adding that a collage of student handprints on a palette table in colorful paint will also be up for grabs. "Some students will do painting projects where they draw a tree or create art with paint using their thumbprints."
Also included in the auction will be a chance for students to be Principal for the Day. The winning student will get to make the announcements for a day and eat lunch with their principal and teacher.