HOPE — If you think you saw three full-grown adults dressed like chickens standing on the roof above the Flat Rock — Hawcreek School Corp. campus Thursday night, you really did see it.
The costumed grown-ups were fulfilling a fundraising challenge made last fall by administrators at Hope Elementary School to students last fall, said school Principal Jessica Poe.
If the students were able to sell over the goal of $25,000 worth of products provided through Paragon Promotions of Evansville, two administrators and one support staff member agreed to camp out one night on the roof of the campus.
With a variety of items to sell ranging from gift wrapping and cookie dough to candles and trash bags, Hope Elementary students exceeded the goal in what Poe describes as one of the biggest fundraisers in the history of the school. While the grade school received about $10,000 for various expenses, Hope Elementary is hopeful they will receive a grant of up to $5,000 from the Heritage Fund — the Community Foundation of Bartholomew County that will help purchase items to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, she said.
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So Thursday night was selected by the front office folks at the time to to fulfill their obligation. In fact, Poe, Dean of Students Kris Fortune and Secretary Brenda Renner wanted to make it fun for the students. That’s why they chose the most outrageous pajamas they could find — chicken-costume sleepwear — for their overnight expedition.
At about 5:30 p.m., work began to haul the tent and supplies from the ground to the roof above the administration office at 5:30 p.m., Poe said. But just before all preparations were made, the cold rain blew into northwest Bartholomew County.
While Fortune ended up getting soaked while completing preparations, the trio worked together to get everything dried off and settled in by 6 p.m. at their campsite along a sloped portion of the roof, the principal said. From 7 to 8 p.m., about 75 people that included parents and students either drove by or stopped. The kids who got out of the car were able to get about four pieces of candy from a table conspicuously placed on the ground floor.
At 8 p.m., Fortune began reading a bedtime story via Facebook Live. Renner did the same at 8:30 p.m., while the principal told the final bedtime tale at 9 p.m. Each story was seen live at a minimum of about 50 different homes, and replayed hundreds of times by the time classes began Friday morning.
After all the students had fallen asleep, weather conditions became more than just cold and uncomfortable. While the community slept, the trio found a small flat section of roof that allowed them to descend to the ground before they headed into the school building and slept in their respective offices, the principal said.
As the students began arriving shortly before 7:30 a.m. Friday, the administrators were back on the roof again and welcoming their pupils back to school. As of 9 a.m. Friday, Facebook counts indicate that Dean Fortune’s bedtime story was the most popular, reaching 1,543 computers — including both the live feed and replays.
The money raised by the students last fall is being used for very serious purposes. That includes technology programs, educational labs, professional development for teachers, rewards for deserving students, convocations and a variety of other classroom resources, Poe said.
Items to help during the pandemic such as voice amplifiers for teachers, protective masks for students and bottled water are also being purchased through the fundraiser proceeds.
