Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Families create memories, school raises money at Gehring Elementary event

Winter Creations

Hyun James Kim / Special to the Home News

Howert Collins, right, and his daughter, first grader Savannah, trace a stencil decoration on their holiday ceramic mug the Roger D. Gehring Elementary School Winter Creations pottery craft fair.

Click to enlarge photo

First grader Destiny Sooley paints one of her ceramic ornaments at the Roger D. Gehring Elementary School Winter Creations pottery craft fair.

Brandishing brushes full of bright colors, a small group of Roger D. Gehring Elementary School students and their families decorated ornaments during the school's Winter Creations event Wednesday.

The event served as a family togetherness activity and as a small fundraiser to alleviate some of the stress caused by budget cuts.

As with every evening event this year, in the spirit of the Ghering Geckos Go Green theme, the school accepted donations of recyclable electronics from attendees as they entered the event.

PTA member Steve Garnett said the old phones, laptops and cartridges will be mailed to a company that will pay as much as $10 to $15 for some pieces.

The money will be used to purchase supplies for teachers, he said.

The Winter Creations event, hosted by All Fired Up!, a paint-your-own ceramics studio, was also expected to bring a small amount of money to the school. But that was not the main reason for putting it on.

The event was more about bringing Gehring families together for a fun activity, Garnett said.

Assistant Principal Ron Schroeder said it gave parents a chance to work with their children.

"They create a memory that lasts forever," he said.

Attendee and parent of two students Christine Collins echoed that sentiment.

She said she and her family go to the event each year and cherish the hand-decorated ornaments.

"It's just something special they can have when they grow up," she said.

Parent Bobbie Nemetz brought her two school-aged daughters to the event to begin a new family tradition of hanging hand-decorated ornaments on the tree each year.

"Plus they love to do crafts and this is a good way to do it," she said. "They have fun and the money goes to a good cause."

Aside from participating in the Winter Creations fundraiser, Nemetz has also taken an active role in helping the school through another avenue, the school's recently instituted Giving Tree.

PTA President Maria Moilanen explained that the teachers request items they need by writing them down on a leaf or apple-shaped paper and pasting the requests to a paper tree on the wall at the entrance of the school. Parents can then take a leaf or apple and purchase items ranging from transparency sheets to Kleenex for the teachers.

Nemetz and her family took it upon themselves to take every leaf and apple off of the tree. She purchased the items because she said the teachers are in such dire need of supplies.

Additionally she feels it was just a good thing to do.

"What comes around goes around," she said. "And you hope to set a good example for your kids."

Ashley Livingston can be reached at 990-8925 or [email protected].

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