We are the world

Danette Goulet

Wearing brightly colored costumes and waving flags from around the world

Thursday morning, hundreds of students proudly marched around the

blacktop during the opening ceremonies of Newport Heights Elementary’s

inaugural schoolwide Olympics.

“We’re going to be doing courses and stuff,” said 5-year-old Madeline

Peckenpaugh. “We’ve been practicing at home all week.”

The purpose of the event was to raise money to support the school’s PTA.

Each student asked family, friends and neighbors to sponsor them by

making a donation.

Every classroom was asked to select a country and create costumes and

flags to represent that nation, said Laura Lee, who chaired the event.

“We’re from Greece, the ones that started it all,” said Karin Selby, a

first-grade teacher wearing a crown of ivy. “We’ve been studying Greece

for the past week to teach kids about the country. They’re very excited.”

The theme, in honor of the upcoming Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia,

was to celebrate students’ diversity, said Newport Heights principal

Brooke Booth.

“I’m America,” Madeline said, pointing at the flag sewn on her shirt. “My

brother’s Holland. He’s in the sixth grade and he’s 11.”

Students participated in four events: the jump rope, low hurdles, Frisbee

throw and a 25-yard dash.

“I knocked over one [hurdle], but I didn’t knock over two,” said

5-year-old Maddie Frome as she clutched the hand of her best friend,

Rachel Vensand.

“We do the Frisbee and there’s a jump rope, but I don’t do the jump

rope,” Rachel said. “And we do the dash. I liked that the bestest.”

Students tossed, jumped, and dashed as music blared over the track and

field area.

Droves of parent volunteers helped keep some semblance of order during

the chaotic games.

While students were collecting pledges, parents were collecting prizes.

There were up to 16 grand prizes, Lee said, which included go-peds and

clothes from surf brands Quiksilver and Roxy.

Prizes were not given to the student who ran the fastest or threw the

furthest, but to who collected the most money for the school, Lee said.