Fueling Up for A Personal Best

Successful athletes know that gearing up for a big event requires the right fuel. Often they participate in a “pasta night” the day before a big race or a playoff.  Both the food and the camaraderie serve to boost each athlete’s body and spirit.

Inspired by this practice, Cherry Avenue Third Grade Teacher Geraldine Batterberry organized a combination “Pasta Night” and Matthew’s Giving Tree Fundraiser for the third- and fifth-graders. While it was not for a physical race, but for a mental one, the idea was to help the students reduce any test anxiety for the upcoming ELAs.

“I thought it would be fun (and hopefully encouraging) for children to attack the test like a runner,” Mrs. Batterberry, a runner herself, explained. “Testing is just like a race.  You need to pace yourself.  You want to perform your best on race day, and like all runners….the only one you are really competing against is YOURSELF.  Runners in a 5K aren’t racing each other….they are trying to score the personal best time in each race.”

“The Common Core testing is not a race against other students or other districts.” Mrs. Batterberry continued. “We wanted the kids to go for their personal best.”

For a $2 donation to Matthew’s Giving Tree, approximately 100 Cherry Avenue student enjoyed the afterschool event in the fabulous Cherry Avenue restaurant (cafeteria). Especially after cooking twenty pounds of pasta, Mr. Batterberry was very appreciative of those Cherry Avenue staff members who donated boxes of pasta, jars of sauce, and stayed to serve.

The outcome was a success! Not only were the students fueled and refreshed for their ELA tests the next day, but Pasta Night had raised about $350 for Matthew’s Giving Tree.