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Afterschool celebration October 19

All are welcome to attend the free National Lights On Afterschool Celebration on Thursday, Oct .19 at the Thermopolis Middle School Commons beginning at 6 p.m.

There will be Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) activities involving pumpkins. Program coordinator, Elisa Daniels, said among the activities will be creating a volcano inside a pumpkin, making pumpkin slime and decorating pumpkins with paint rather than traditional carvings.

A light dinner with a menu of finger sandwiches, fruits and vegetables will be provided as well. Dessert will include pumpkin cheesecakes provided by the Lights On Cooking Club at Ralph Witters Elementary, along with some pumpkin banana bread.

As of Monday, Daniels said, there are 260 students registered for the Lights On program and things are looking great. Last year, there was an average of 30-35 students per day in the program. This year, it’s up to 40-45, and on Wednesdays and Thursdays — the most popular days — it can be around 60.

Daniels chose the pumpkin theme for this year’s celebration, as it ties in with fall, Halloween and family, and she wants the event to help bring people together much like the good fall foods at Thanksgiving bring families together. She said it’s a good time for parents or anyone to come and see what the program is, see who the staff are and what they do.

Daniels said there might be some misinformation out there concerning what Lights On is all about, and this affords an opportunity for people to find out for themselves. It also allows staff time to visit with parents to see what they want from the program.

It’s a chance, Daniels said, for the community to come together and see what we can do to best support the students.

 

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