Celebrating Centenary Things On Day 100

By Eliza Hallabeck

Newtown schools celebrated the arrival of the 100th day of school on Tuesday, February 15, with parades, counting games, and more.

At Sandy Hook School first grade students lined up at 9:20 am to march through the school with vests made out of paper bags. Each student’s vest was decorated with a differently with objects that add up to 100.

Shortly after the parade began, the students walked past collection boxes for this year’s 100th Day of School Food Drive, overseen by math/science specialist Kris Feda. Sandy Hook School Principal Dawn Hochsprung joined the students near the end of the line of marchers to parade through the school as classrooms of students watched.

At Middle Gate students from kindergarten to fourth grade participated in the annual celebration of the number 100. Math/science specialist Pam Fagan’s room was decorated with 100th Day of School projects marking the 15th annual all-school math day.

Fourth grade teacher Linda Baron’s classroom had a poster decorated with “100 Reasons Why We [Heart] Math,” as she walked her students through 100-related problems and games.

“It’s a brain teaser,” she said, as she asked students to draw a circle with the number 100 perfectly centered within it, without any other lines, and without lifting the pencil. “There’s only one way to do it.”

Other classrooms at Middle Gate celebrated the 100th Day by playing number games, like Lina Silveira’s first grade students. First graders Andrew Beaudoin and Carly Decker explained the number game they were playing had the students roll dice to count to the number 100. The first student to gather 10 sticks of 10 cubes could trade the sticks in for a 100 stick, and win the game.

“It’s fun,” said Andrew, “because it is a game too.”

Ms Fagan started celebrating the 100th day of school with students 25 years ago when she was a kindergarten teacher at Middle Gate. For the past 15 years of being the math and science specialist, the event has been a schoolwide celebration of the number 100.

Head O’ Meadow kindergarten and first grade students also marked the 100th Day of School on Tuesday by bringing in homemade projects that collected 100 items. The projects were on display that day in the school’s library, according to kindergarten teacher Gail Diminico.

Kindergarteners also participated in activities, like a writing project reflecting on the first 100 days of school and a drawing project. Students were asked to draw themselves as they will look in 100 years. As a special nod to the 100th Day of School, kindergarteners also collected 100 cans of food this month to be donated to the FAITH Food Pantry, as part of the monthly program at the school to raise efforts and donations for causes.

Other grades at Head O’ Meadow also marked the 100th Day of School with different activities, according to Ms Diminico. At Hawley Elementary School different classes recognized the day in different ways also.