BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP
Staff Writer
SCOTT PILLING staff Roosevelt Public School student Ben Nulman, 12, finishes a structure he made using 100 blocks during a celebration of the first 100 days of school held on Feb. 15. ROOSEVELT — One hundred isn’t just a number, it’s a reason for some students to mark their calendars and plan for a party.
The entire student body at Roosevelt Public School (RPS) participated in a celebration of the 100th day of school on Feb. 15. RPS’s kindergarten and first-graders hosted numerous activities, which all related to the number 100, in the school’s foyer.
“The aim of the day is to celebrate the first 100 days of school,” RPS first-grade teacher Donna Gazzani said. “But every day in school is special, and we want the kids to know that just because we got to 100, the fun doesn’t come to an end.”
All morning long on the 100th day, students had an opportunity to try to jump 100 inches, limbo below 100 centimeters, build a tower with 100 blocks and place their footprint on the 100-step walk.
SCOTT PILLING staff Gabrielle Husko, 5, cuts out the imprint of a shoe during Roosevelt Public School’s celebration of the 100th day of school on Feb. 15. “Every activity is geared toward increasing self-esteem,” Gazzani said. “The students are learning math and spatial relations and enjoying physical activity. Each activity is geared toward the person as a whole.”
For the event, students wrote 100 messages of kindness, constructed art out of 100 found objects and drew what they would look like at the age of 100.
Larisa Bondy, an RPS kindergarten teacher, said, “We wanted the younger students to learn what 100 looks like, so we counted by ones and we counted by tens.”
Bondy continued, “We made wind socks with 10 arms, we created posters out of 100 items and we played hunts in the classroom where we found the numbers one to 100 and then had to put them in sequential order.”
The success of the 100th-day celebration was twofold because by helping younger students learn the concept of 100, it also helped build older students’
excitement for school, according to Bondy.
“In the younger grades, excitement for education comes naturally,” Bondy said. “The 100th-day celebration gave some of our older students something to look forward to.”
Approximately 75 students took part in the day’s events.
Brendan Powers, 11, said he looked forward to the 100th day of school.
“It’s like recess,” Powers said.
Powers said he particularly enjoyed trying to build a structure out of 100 wooden blocks without having it collapse.
Meaghan Joyce, 11, said she enjoyed trying to jump 100 inches. She said she doesn’t always like school, but teachers such as her fifth-grade math teacher can make it fun to learn.
“Mr. Gerschman, who teaches math and geometry, can actually make learning fun because he’s really nice and sometimes silly,” Joyce said.
Amber Nolan, 10, said her favorite activity on the 100th day was trying to bounce a ball for 100 seconds.
“This is great because we’re not just sitting in class, we’re learning with the help of our friends,” Nolan said.
RPS students weren’t the only ones who appreciated the break from the usual curriculum.
Thom Hickey, whose children, Lacey and Jessie, go to RPS, attended the celebration.
“I think this celebration is multifaceted in that it helps the children understand the value of 100 and it commands that the children work together to achieve certain goals,” Hickey said.
Hickey continued, “RPS has activities like this all of time. They’re great.”
Hickey said one of the most redeeming values of the school is its small student population of about 75.
“Because the classes are so small the school has lots of hands-on education,” Hickey said. “The school can hold events like this often and parents who want to have a great influence on their children’s education can.”