Kindergarten students and teachers at West Elementary dressed up like they were 100 years old in honor of the 100th day of school. Pictured are students Bryson Cooper, Landon James, Aidyn Kate Marshall and Raney Stone. Photo by Channing Wright.

By Channing Wright

For the FCT

The 100^th day of school is a big milestone for kindergarten students, so each year the day is marked with a special celebration.

On Tuesday, Jan. 28, the students at West Elementary celebrated their 100^th day of school with a day full of activities.

Working around this year’s “monsters” theme, the stage in the cafetorium was decorated with 100 monsters and 100 balloons, and each grade participated in a program where they counted to 100, sang songs, and popped 100 balloons.

The teachers as well as the students dressed up as if they were 100 years old utilizing props like grey hair, glasses, walkers and canes.

This fun and educational day of celebrating is something the teachers and students all look forward to, but it takes a lot of preparation and planning to make it a success.

Students in each classroom have been working hard to master Common Core skills related to counting and number concepts.

“The 100^th day is a fun way to reinforce educational concepts that are taught in the classroom,” kindergarten teacher Lori Alford said.

Throughout the day, students spend time putting into practice skills they have learned. They participate in activities in the classroom through whole group and stations. They also went on a scavenger hunt for 100 Monsters located around the school. These monsters were created and named by the students the previous week.

“My favorite thing about the 100^th Day of School was counting to 100 with all the other kindergarten students,” kindergartener Raney Stone said.

In addition to celebrating the 100^th day, the students collected cans to distribute to families in need. West Elementary School collected 1828 cans this year. Each classroom worked hard to support this cause.

West Elementary would like to thank CB&S Bank, Valley State Bank, and Bank Independent for donating balloons to make this day a success.