The winter months can often be a stressful time of year for students whose families struggle with food or income instability. Last November, one VPS elementary school with a population of 63% of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch and 56% identifying as members of minority groups (or multiracial) was dealing with the impacts of ICE activity in their community. Many students were scared, stressed, and struggling to feel empowered.
Around this time, the school launched their VPS Students Cares Campaign. Formerly known as the Student Chest Drive, the annual VPS Students Care Campaign takes place each November across all VPS schools to support the Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools.
This districtwide effort gives students the chance to get creative, work together, and have fun while participating in philanthropic giving. Turns out the campaign also offered much needed stress-relief and a big mental health boost.
“This year’s fundraiser brought joy and laughter to our school, and a community purpose,” said staff member Allison*.
Allison co-facilitates the fourth and fifth grade student leadership team at the school, which determines the fundraising activities for the VPS Students Care campaign.
During a meeting with the group, a student raised the fundraising idea of students earning individual pumpkin pies in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday. This led to another student commenting, “Whoa, what I’d really love to see is a teacher get pied in the face.” The idea quickly took root – and staff members were gleefully nominated.
The students decided that they would create jars for each teacher nominated, and for every $100 in donations, another teacher would get a pie to the face. They set a goal of $500, which just exceeded the previous year’s fundraising total of $400 and change.
The students had so much fun seeing the jars start to fill, and there were definitely a few teachers who were singled out by their fans. One teacher, who had banned the use of the phrase “6 7” in her classroom, told her class that she would say those dreaded words on stage if her jar broke $100! Her jar alone held $223 by the end of the fundraiser – meaning she got pied twice!
The Pie in the Face assembly was held two weeks after the fundraiser closed and the students had earned eight pies – over $800 raised.
Some of the “lucky” teachers donned waterproof ponchos and shower caps to protect their clothes and hair. Attendees of the assembly reported that the children’s shouts and shrieks of joy were positively off the charts.
While the primary goals of the campaign is to fundraise and teach students about philanthropic giving, it also supports the Foundation for Vancouver Public Schools’ goal of strengthening students’ social-emotional health and well being by keeping students engaged and creating moments of collective joy.
Allison said, “The Foundation helps our students in so many ways through providing clothes, jackets, shoes, rental assistance, and so much more, but their assistance also helps us teachers and staff to be able to say, ‘Yes, we can.’ Staff, students, and families are grateful for the Foundation each and every day. Thank you so much.”
*name changed for anonymity
-Written by FVPS Staff, Leah Middleton and Dani Wright
