The principal challenged her students, and the students won.
But Hazelwood Elementary School’s Sally Colburn may have gotten the better end of the deal on a sun-plashed, breezy Friday on Lea Hill.
Without a roof over her head or windows at her sides, Colburn enjoyed conducting school operations from the spacious, open playground. She battled the glare as she studied her laptop computer screen. She kept an in-house radio close by. She waved to parents as they left the parking lot and passed along Southeast 304th Street.
“Oh, it’s a gorgeous day,” Colburn said from her mobile, makeshift desk yards from the lawn and playground equipment. “It’s been so much fun because I’ve been sitting out here. And when the kids come out for recess, I’ve had a few pop into a chair and say, ‘So, how’s it going?'”
Colburn challenged students to reach a school-wide, 7,000-pound donation goal to support area food banks. The kids did even better. At the PTA-assisted official weigh-in Friday, the school had donated more than 8,300 pounds of food and home supplies.
Hazelwood has a tradition of giving – and giving big. It has won the Auburn School District All-School Food Drive elementary school title three times, but the “Home of Orca Pride” came away empty handed last year.
“So what Sally did was raise the bar very high, and we blew past it,” said Bill Murphy, a PTA volunteer who helped perform the weigh-ins. “It’s a great effort and a good-news story.”
To spur the donation drive, Colburn and staff came up with some incentives. They welcomed friendly competition among the school’s 24 classrooms.
On “200-pound Tuesday” this week, for instance, eight classes reached the day’s lofty goal, winning popsicles and extra recess spent with Colburn.
On Thursday this week, Lori Crain’s third-grade class won the day’s high-pound donation duel. Colburn supplied the winning prize, delivering three dozen donuts to Crain’s hard-working young crew.
Then on Friday, Colburn challenged the school to surpass the 7,000-pound goal and promised to move her desk to the playground if students succeeded.
They did so, emphatically.
Robin Slater’s group of first-graders was Hazelwood’s top collecting class, compiling 1,287 pounds of donations during the two-week drive, including a whopping 580 pounds Friday. Each of Slater’s students averaged 58 pounds of donations.
“It’s been delightful. The kids have been terrific, and we’re doing it for a good cause,” Colburn said. “It’s always nice to win the trophy, but we’re donating to the Auburn, Pacific and Algona food banks, and that’s what it is really about.”
Colburn didn’t mind doing her part, moving her desk outdoors.
“I’m not getting a lot done, but it’s worth it,” she said. “It’s a team effort. I’ve got a great staff, terrific kids and a really supportive PTA.”
The winners of the district’s all-school food drive will be announced soon.
