Martin Walker staff goes behind bars for United Way

Mustache Monday, Twin Tuesday, Wild Wednesday, Thinking Cap Thursday, and Fancy Friday. Students and staff at Martin Walker Elementary School may look a little out of the ordinary these days, but it is all for a good cause. The school has dedicated the entire month of October to supporting United Way with various activities for both students and staff to participate. In 2014, the school raised $1,460.21 for the charity, a drop of 13.6 percent as compared to the 2013 total of $1,690.95. So, this year, the faculty made some strategic decisions to boost their bucks and their participation. The school decided upon a week of dress-up days, a decorated box contest and a pretend jail for faculty and staff to meet its goal for the United Way this year. The dress up week had a different theme each day with students and staff donning their favorite camouflage or animal print shirts on Wild Wednesday. Like many students in a military community, second-grader Brenna Butler fashioned the same camouflage used on the current army combat uniforms. “I chose to wear camo because my dad is in the Army,” she said proudly, reflecting on her outfit. Some students even painted their faces in camouflage or wore headbands with ears to match animal prints. In another initiative, the faculty members competed to win 30 extra minutes of lunch and popsicles for their class by decorating a box to put in the gymnasium. For teachers with a very tight schedule, a long lunch is an invaluable prize. It allows them a chance to catch up on extra work, get ahead, or simply take a much needed break during a busy week. Students were able to vote for their favorite entry by putting change donations in the boxes they liked the best. Competitors entered boxes with a variety of styles and sizes, many of which drew inspiration from popular children’s book and movie characters. First grade teacher Caitlyn McGath had a different strategy and created an inspirational hot air balloon box. “I looked on the United Way’s Pinterest account and found the quote on a hot air balloon background,” she said. Many of the students, however, tended to favor boxes of those they knew submitted them. Fourth grader Emma Kerr had no difficulty making her choice. “I voted for the minion box because it was my mom’s and Ms. Hoffchen’s box so that we could get popsicles,” she said. The final event to round out the fundraiser will be the jail put in place today for faculty members. Students raised money this week to put a faculty member in jail during his or her conference period. Each $5 raised will equal two minutes in the jail. During this time, students will be encouraged to taunt and tease the staff members in the cell. However, faculty may also pay to negate their sentence. Faculty will be jailed throughout the day today, Martin Walker Library Aide Joanna Henry said. “One reason that fundraisers such as these are an integral part of each school’s outreach is because United Way is a natural partner to schools’ goals and missions. Education is one of the organization’s three stated focuses, along with income and health goals,” she said. Copperas Cove ISD raised $38,773.29 for the United Way in 2014. The school district has committed to raising $40,000 for the charity this year.