Yee-Haw!! – Wild, Wild Southwest fundraiser collects more than $60K

CLEMMONS — Every year, Southwest Elementary’s PTA hosts a fundraiser. This year’s theme was Wild, Wild Southwest Goes Buck Wild.

It’s one week of school-wide participation that includes a kick-off assembly, gathering of donations towards the fundraiser, a spirit week, a Fun Run and celebration assembly.

To keep things exciting, every year, the events’ organizers conceive various themes for the event. Previous themes for the fundraiser included “Goes to the Movies,” “Under the Sea” and “Welcome to the Jungle.”

The Wild Wild Southwest theme drew inspiration from western cowboys and rodeos and the school was converted into a desert-style setting during the Friday Night Transformation Decoration volunteer event.

This year, a goal of $40,000 was set, but funds raised blew right past that mark, surpassing $61,000.

Principal Summer Jackson and Assistant Principal Alana Kotas got in on the fun, too, participating in different challenge incentives. For example, after hitting $40,000, Jackson rode a mechanical bull.

If school-wide participation was 85 percent or higher, Kotas was turned into a human chicken and did the chicken dance with the school. That incentive worked because the school reached 90 percent.

For every additional $1,000 raised over the $40,000 mark (up to $50,000) Jackson and Kotas played WWSW Roulette and had to eat various items such as frog legs, chicken feet and pickled eggs, among other savory items. If the school got to $60,000, which it did, Jackson agreed to be yolked by five dozen raw eggs.

There were prize incentives for the students as well.

Prizes:

• $10: Texas Roadhouse Kids Meal Coupon
• $25: SWES pencil with cactus eraser
• $50: Rodeo rubber duck
• $100: Western keychain
• $250: Digital watch
• 10 donors: Bandanna slap bracelet
• 15 donors: Crazy hair SW pen

Classes within each grade level that had the highest participation percentage will get to visit a mobile petting farm that will be coming to SWES.

For the past several years, the PTA has been organizing the fundraiser, but it wasn’t always as hands on as it is now. Before 2017, the PTA used an organization called Boosterthon. While Boosterthon took most of the labor out of the effort, it also took nearly half of the proceeds. Since the PTA felt like it had plenty of parental support and man-power, the group decided to take the reins and keep it in house. With a mission of supporting teachers, students and staff, being able to keep as much of the proceeds as possible made that mission all the more impactful and so far, so good.

The PTA efforts have lent themselves to various school improvements like new playground equipment, an auditorium sound system and a lateral rock wall in the gymnasium among several other things. From an academic standpoint, those efforts have facilitated student workbooks, extra curriculum and online programs. Curriculum support from this year includes Flocabulary and Reflex Math Grades 2-5. First grade and kindergarten will be provided with funds to use on curriculum in order to make spending fair among grade levels. It will also allow for a Mad Science Day.

Additionally, this year, the fundraisers turned their attention to two grade-level specific science labs (K-2 and 3-5) in order to allow teachers a space outside of the classroom to provide students with more hands-on, curriculum-focused STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities. The science labs are projected to be completed for student use in early Feb 2025.

A general information memo from the PTA indicated that the SW Science Labs will provide a space for teachers and students where hands-on STEM learning and activities can happen.

“At times, the classroom can be limiting for teachers to give students an adequate STEM-lesson experience,” that memo said. “Our hope and goal in creating these Science Labs is for teachers to be able to have the space, materials, and time to engage their students in even more meaningful STEM experiences.

“Our vision as we fund and create the Science Labs is to have classes visit the lab twice a quarter with the option to sign up for more visits as needed. In the lab we hope to provide flexible furniture and seating options, hands-on STEM-based materials and manipulatives, as well as grade-level specific curriculum materials that will support the standards taught in the classroom.”

Science lab items will include storage racks; digital and balance scales; Plastic beakers, test tubes, droppers and tongs; handheld and standing microscopes; safety equipment and materials, like gloves, goggles, aprons, etc.; Measurement Instruments, like rulers, stopwatches/timers, measuring tape, thermometers, etc.; hot plates; tuning forks, a microwave; and diagrams and visual aids.

Event organizers said that WWSW could not be as successful without the SWES PTA Team, amazing parent and family volunteers, business partners and the students, staff, families and administration of SWES, adding a huge thank you to all who contributed to make this year’s fundraiser a success.

Although the fundraiser ended on Sept. 30, the PTA welcomes anyone to contact them directly if they would like to make an additional donation or to learn more about volunteer opportunities to help create the labs, email southwest.wwsw@gmail.com.

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