Gala supports school programs

Parents will gather next week for an exciting evening of dinner, dancing, raffles, and silent and live auctions - and it's all for the kids.

On Friday, November 6 from 6 to 10 p.m. the Sisters Elementary School's parent/teacher association will hold its annual Green & Gold Gala at Aspen Lakes' Brand 33 restaurant.

"It's a very fun event for our parents and staff that has really helped fund some enrichment programs for our school," said Jan Silberman, Principal. "Our parents have worked very, very hard to make it an exciting and traditional social event."

Most of the fundraising is done by the SPTC, Sisters Parent Teacher Community.

"SPTC's goal is to raise much-needed funds, outside of what the school budget can handle, to help augment the curriculum they currently have," said Beverly Tucker, parent and SPTC member. "The funds go to art literacy programs and special assemblies like those provided by OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry)."

Special assemblies have also been added where they invite an author to come and meet the kids.

"The committee gets ideas from parents, teachers and staff. Last year," Tucker added, "$15,000 of funds raised were used to get new playground equipment because it was becoming a safety issue."

"The SPTC also does some fundraising during Family Art Night where you get to create cool things with your kids. Local artists volunteer. We have art literacy and have an artist, Clay Warburton, in residency. We have a walkathon in the spring called "Exercise for Education" and a family barbecue, which is not a fundraiser, but just a fun gathering held at the end of the year," said school volunteer Peyton Griffin.

"At the last auction we raised enough to gift the school $8,400 to purchase books for every grade and level," Griffin said.

"A lot of the items for the gala are donated by the community," explained Tucker. "One of the dads donated a steelhead salmon, sturgeon boating trip, because that's his business. Someone else donated a two-person day at the spa. Some of those items will be offered as a silent auction and some are live auctions."

Each class has worked on art projects for the gala. Fourth-grade students made a table of painted tiles. The first-grade class made a mosaic mirror covered with stones from Oregon and something special from each student. Mr. Hewett's third-grade class painted grocery bags to help people reduce, reuse and recycle. A chess set was created by Mrs. Kamrath's kindergarten students, adding their faces to the chess board and their fingerprints on the chess pieces.

More of the students' projects will be on display and auctioned at the gala.

"We are blessed to have such an incredible community that supports our school. As small as this community is, people give," said Melanie Petterson, event coordinator for the Green & Gold Gala. "This whole community is completely for our kids"

Tickets for the Gala may be purchased at Sisters Elementary School and Metamorphosis Salon & Spa.