The 100th day of school

LAURINBURG — South Johnson Elementary students and staff got into the celebration commemorating the 100th day of school on Tuesday.

“Students brought collections of 100 items to math class such as mini marshmallows, beads and marbles,” said teacher Shawnda Barfield. “We organized them in rows of 10 and counted by 10s and ones. In writing we wrote if we had $100, I would…”

Fifth-grade students were invited to dress as if they were 100 years old.

“They were also given a writing prompt reflecting on their experiences with the first 100 days of the school year,” said teacher Betsy Thompson.

“In Science class, students compiled a list of 100 science words we have learned/used this year to compile into a word cloud, all three were posted on the School Story in Dojo,” added Thompson. “There were no real challenges due to the distance since I designed the activity with remote learning in mind. Students in all three groups were excited to discover how many terms they could come up with. It was a sneaky way to have them revisit what they have learned, and it gave the kids a real sense of group accomplishment to watch the list grow and to see the colorful word cloud that was generated.”

Many classes chose to have their students write stories based on the number 100. One teacher stated her students had a wide range of what they would do with $100.

“Some of my students would buy a boat and go fishing, buy toys, buy clothes and go on a trip,” said Elizabeth McIntyre. “We also listened to a story about the 100th day of school and several students shared their collection of 100 objects. I had children bring in 100 bottle caps, fruit loops, pennies, blocks and M&M’s.

“It was a fun day,” added McIntyre.

Other teachers created a few different ideas to help excite their students.

“We had an awesome day playing BINGO to review concepts we learned last week,” said Kacie Villanueva, “and to have a little bit of fun. There were giveaways, several students won $5 gift cards to the fast-food restaurant of their choice, and some also won a free pass on one math assignment.

“Overall,” added Villanueva, “we still had a great time celebrating, even being virtual.”

Some teachers celebrated with their students by wearing 100-day hats and glasses.

“They used a bubble map to tell what they would be like when they were 100, where they would live, their family, hobbies, etc,” said Jackie Scott. “We did ‘How Old was Granny’ word problems and we worked on some place value skills and comparing numbers in math as we went to Papa Geno’s Pizzeria where we counted the items on the pizzas, looked up the value of each item and added the items up. Scott.”

Wagram Elementary

The staff and students of Wagram Elementary also celebrated the 100th day of school as well.

“The PBiS and celebration committee challenged our parents and community to donate 100 canned goods as they drove through our sea of educators dressed as 100-year-old citizens,” said Kachina Singletary, principal. “Any time we get a chance to see our baby Wildcats, it is cause for celebration.

“Also,” continued Singletary, “as a part of the challenge, we asked the students to respond to a writing prompt that referenced what would they buy if they had $100 or what do they think the world would be like in 100 years.

Singletary continued saying the Wildcat drive through celebrations are always well attended but the weather on the 100th-day celebration hindered some of their most faithful participants.

“The students that did attend received a book, a one hundred grand candy bar and the parents received an informational handout of ten Parent Tips for Distance Learning Success,” said Singletary.

Laurel Hill Elementary

Laurel Hill Elementary also held a celebration of its own to recognize the day.

“Many of our staff members and students dressed up like they were 100 years old to celebrate the day as well,” said Laura Bailey, principal at Laurel Hill. “Teachers also included a variety of activities in their lessons to align with the 100th day.

“For instance, students in kindergarten were tasked with making something using 100 of something,” continued Bailey. “Like all aspects of virtual learning, celebrating the 100th day provided challenges. It was more difficult to get students excited about the 100th day because they were not going to get to see their “old” friends in person.”

Bailey added that the 100th day is special to her this year.

“As a principal, the 100th day of school is a particularly special milestone this year, as I understand the struggles and challenges our families and teachers have endured and I am appreciative of the sacrifices that have been made by them to try to make virtual learning a success for our children,” said Bailey.

JJ Melton can be reached at [email protected]. To support the Laurinburg Exchange, subscribe here: https://laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com/subscribe.