Riverview Elementary School had its end-of-the-year celebration on Thursday afternoon, where students celebrated the money they raised for the Great Falls Lions Special Olympics team.
A few years ago, Riverview Elementary “adopted” the Great Falls Lions team when they became a Unified Champion School.
Dennis Hogan, a fourth grade teacher, said, “We were trying to figure out what we can do for them, and they were in need of new uniforms. So, the leadership team decided that maybe we could do some fundraising every month to get some funds for some new uniforms.”
This past school year, students paid $1 a month to participate in an activity. Some examples of the activities included: wearing pajamas to school, chewing gum for a day, wearing a hat, wearing sunglasses, etc.
In the end, the school raised over $2,000 for the Lions team.
Hogan said students also did “Fans in the Stands” events where they attended the State Games and sat with the Great Falls Lions team members.
“They sat with them, visited with them and kind of just to get the idea of there’s other children out there that may not have the same abilities that they do, but yet they’re still kids and they like to socialize and interact, and it builds that good connection with all walks of kids,” he said.
At the celebration, a representative from Special Olympics accepted the check and gave Riverview Elementary a certificate for their fundraising efforts.
Bikes donated by Uptown Optimists were also given out at the celebration to kids who excelled in reading during the school year.
They also had a behavior celebration where if a student’s name was drawn, they got to pick a teacher to go down a slip ‘n slide with.
Reporting by Kasey Herman for MTN News
