WILDWOOD CREST – Crest Memorial School will hold its annual Fun Friday celebration May 13 from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at the school.
Fun Friday is an event for the school community that involves food, wacky relay games, music, raffles for great prizes, a carnival and a competitive kickball game. Each year, school staff members volunteer to run the event that raises funds for two scholarships given annually to Crest Memorial School graduates. All of the school’s students and their families are invited to participate, and many turn out to compete or enjoy the festivities as spectators.
Many local businesses have donated items and gift certificates for raffles that will be drawn near the end of the evening. Included in the items are tickets to sporting events, local boat cruises, clothing, toys, and gift certificates to many of the area’s fine restaurants.
The scholarships that benefit from Fun Friday are the Robin Thompson Scholarship Fund, named for a 29-year Crest Memorial second-grade teacher who died of cancer in 1995, and the Peg (Ciglinsky) Rowland Scholarship Fund, named for a beloved 20-year fourth-grade teacher who died suddenly in 2012 and served as the Fun Friday coordinator for many years.
Younger participants, their siblings, and parents enjoy the event’s carnival held in the cafeteria, where they can partake in face painting and a variety of games and activities. One of the more popular activities is the opportunity to tape a teacher or administrator to the wall.
Students in grades 2 to 6, along with their parents, participate in a series of creative relay events in the school’s gym. Some of these relays include the long-lost arts of skipping and Hula-hooping.
The school’s students in grades seven and eight, with their parents, compete in a high-stakes kickball game run by former teacher Dave Raucci, as well as a heated tournament of “Capture the Flag.” The winning teams get bragging rights for the remainder of the school year.
“Fun Friday is the only fundraising event held to support the two scholarship funds,” explained Jeannine Yecco, a teacher at the school who has taken over coordinating duties, “but more importantly it is a fantastic way for teachers, students, and families to spend a lighthearted evening together after nearly a year of hard work.”
