Parents, Teachers, and Students gathered at Ward Sandlot behind the Quincy Fire Department on Saturday, Aug. 5.
Sponsored by the Beyond Before Community Development Corporation, a local non-profit, the event focused on handing out classroom essentials. This included common classroom items such as copy paper, index cards, notebooks, and various writing utensils.
Headed by Stacey Hannigon, Executive Director of Beyond Before, board members assisted in handing
away the much-needed items as an act of appreciation to community members and teachers.
“A healthy, wealthy, and thriving Gadsden County is our mission statement” said Hannigon, “We’ve had a wonderful, wonderful relationship with the Gadsden County Teachers’ Association, which began under the leadership of Judith Mandela, and we want to keep the relationship going. Teachers’ take as much as you want, and please use it.”
Hannigon wished a blessed, successful, prosperous, and peaceful school year upon the many of the crowd.
UNFI also supported in handling out materials, and Walmart provided
refreshments.
“Teaching is a calling from God; it’s just not something you just jump up and do, if you jump and do it, you won’t last long,” said School Board Member Charlie mFrost. “We appreciate everything teachers do, and we will do anything we need to do to make teachers’ jobs a little bit easier than it is. We have an open-door policy when it comes to this.”
Gadsden County Recreation League, who hosted a cheer-camp earlier this summer, were also invited, and had a group of young cheerleaders perform for the crowd of teachers and students.
Co-ordinated by Alicia Herman, the cheerleaders danced to songs by many learned cheers, Taylor Swift songs, and a remix of the Lion King Soundtrack.
Carlos Hutly, known as DJ Hut, provided the beats, and played a game of ‘Guess that Song!’ with old-school techno, gospel, and disco classics. Prizes were handed out to those who answered correctly.
Rubén Darío Uribe – Gadsden County News Service