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Kids get to dunk principal for the fun of it

By Staff | Jun 10, 2009

Kid with snow cone: Brenban Koss, a sixth grader at Lee Middle School enjoys a snow cone during the fun activities put on by the school’s teachers and principals. Photo by Mel Toadvine

Before school ended this week, several students at Lehigh Acres Middle School were given a special treat – several hours at Veterans Park with games and food and a chance to dunk the principal into a big vat of cold water.

Four balls for a dollar and any student could step up and throw the balls and for the most part, the principal fell into dunk over and over.

“I didn’t mind it that much,” said Principal Joe Pitura. “It feels pretty good on this hot day to get dunked.”

The kids got the part of the afternoon because they had been selected by their teachers as good students.

“These are the students who got good grades, never got in trouble, kids who did good on the

Going down into the drink. Lee Middle School Principal Joe Pitura falls into a large vat of cold water during a special activities event for students at his school during an outing just before school ended. Photo by Mel Toadvine

FCATs, just excellent kids and we though this would be a way to show them some fun just before school ended,” said Social Studies Gifted Teacher Dana Arhar, who along with several other teachers worked on a committee to pick the students to go to the park.

Some 25 teachers accompanied the kids.

There was a little bit of almost anything a kid would enjoy going on, eating hotdogs and hamburgers, getting sprayed a cool mist from an aerial fire truck from the Lehigh Acres Fire Dept., to joisting, playing foot ball, basket ball and more.

The kids arrived at the park at 10:30 a.m. and remained there until 1:30 p.m. when they were all taken back to the middle school.

Then when they got back, school officials, planned to show them a movie, again a gift to the students.

Cooks at school party: Doing the barbecuing of hotdogs and burgers were Gary Falkenberg and Marty Friedman. Photo by Mel Toadvine

Two of the school’s personnel – Gary Falkenberg and Marty Friedman, among other things, were doing the barbecuing of the hotdogs and burgers.

And the kids were eating them up almost as soon as soon as they could be taken off the grille.

The teachers on the committee and were making sure the kids were having a good time included Carol Anderson, Dana Arhar, Gary Falkenberg, Marty Friedman, Mike Kelly, Danny McCulley, Kara O’Keefe, Diane Roberts, John Sirmans, Rich Wold, Sharla Wold and Joan Swolford.

After the principal had been ducked of what seemed like hundreds of times, the school’s assistant principal took his turn. It wasn’t long before one of the kids and dunked Forest Walker and down he went into the big vat of water.

Every thing was free, Arhar said, except for buying four chances to dunk the principal and the vice principal.

Boy with cotton candy: Brad Riccio, one of the students at Lee Middle School, enjoys cotton candy during the big event held at Veterans Park for students who did well this year in school.

“But the kids had their money already and were standing in line to dunk their school officials and walk off laughing. Principal Pitura said the money will go towards other school projects for the kids.

It was a celebration the kids won’t soon forget.

Brenban Koss, a sixth grader had two words for the afternoon: “It’s cool!” she exclaimed.

Brad Riccio, another student said he enjoyed the cotton candy.

“We’ll likely do this next year, too,” Arhar said. “We think it is a good incentive for the kids. We told them back in October that if they did well, they would be in for a big treat at the end of school,” she said.

Kids enjoy the activities at Veterans Park after the school treated them with games and food for being good students. They are students from Lehigh Middle School. Photo by Mel Toadvine

“Look at them, they’re having the best time of their lives. It’s is good for them to have some fun. They have worked hard all year,” she said.