Students rewarded for food bank donations

WASHTUCNA – Four teachers and Principal Michael Amend endured taking pies to the face by students, after generous donations for the food bank reached over 1,100 pounds.

Goals were tracked by the 100-pound mark, with incremental rewards of popsicles all around at 100 pounds, followed by ice cream bars at 200 pounds, and ice cream sundaes at 300 pounds.

The big motivator, perhaps, was the principal’s promise to take a pie in the face at 600 pounds. When the students met that challenge and went above and beyond, another teacher was added to the pie-in-the-face reward for each additional 100 pounds.

Students hauled in more and more donations, finally reaching 1,138 pounds.

Amend said in a school district where the majority of students were free and reduced meals, the generosity was especially heart-warming.

The students got to vote on who else was going to take dessert in the face. Contributing their faces along with Amend for the dirty deed were Washtucna staff members Sue Whitman, Kara Pavone, Luke Gliddon, and Kiera Buriak.

Also enduring humiliation was Staci Gloyn, a dedicated WSU Cougars fan, who agreed to dress up in Amend’s UW Husky gear and loan him her gear for the day when the students hit the 600-pound mark.

Career and Technical Education teacher Mrs. Draper and Katie Lasen filmed the pie-in-the-face event, for students to watch.

“Huge thanks to the students, teachers, community members and families that have made it a great week,” Amend said Friday, Dec. 18.